


A Certain Side Project

by NapkinBox



Category: Toaru Majutsu no Index | A Certain Magical Index
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2016-10-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 09:58:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 54,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5581396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NapkinBox/pseuds/NapkinBox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The necessary existence of any entity is dependent on the current existence of another; the chain of events that outline all life, reality, and activity of those that reside in it. As tension builds between the forces of Science and Magic, Beri Lacoste and her friends will challenge fate. Takes place two years before Index.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. An Apple a Day

**Part 1**

"I want meat!"

"There won't be any more meat for a while, so you have to settle with this instead."

"No, I want to eat meat!"

Beri hid behind her stuffed teddy bear, rejecting the infamous symbol for sin; the apple.

"Geez," her roommate sighed. She stuffed the fairly-large apple in the stuffed-bear's mouth. "See? Even Kuro likes to eat healthy fruits."

"Kuro, bad boy," Beri snapped at the bear. It promptly opened its mouth, making the apple fall and roll across the floor. "You know I'm dying and you bring me something that tastes like sandpaper and feels harder than concrete? How could you, Fumio?"

Beri was in tears at her friend's betrayal to the food pyramid.

The Tokiwadai Gardens were giving away surplus amounts of fruits, especially apples. A certain Esper who specializes in such food groups had recently achieved clearance to Level 4 during the most recent System Scan, and the plethora of fruits were the results.

Fumio thought this would be a good opportunity to teach Beri on how to eat healthy. However, Beri's stubbornness of only eating meat was becoming too much.

"Listen, if you eat nothing but meat, you will stunt your growth. You might even grow in places you wouldn't want."

Kuro was squirming around in Beri's arms, suffocating in her grip.

"Every girl has hidden potential stashed away inside their hearts, and they can only unlock that potential if they actively take care of themselves. I, too, am only beginning my journey of finding my true self in order to unlock my full potential."

Beri's eyes followed Fumio around the dorm room as she went through her usual lecture of improving one's self. However, Beri's eyes were locked on a certain area of her roommate's chest.

"You bitch," she said under her breath. "If you're still 'unlocking your potential'… then what does that make me!?"

She slammed both her fists against the small coffee table. Kuro leaped from her lap and lunged towards Fumio with killing intent to preserve its master's dignity. It let out a "rawr~!" that was less threatening and more adorable than it believed it was making.

As it flew across the air, the claws on its tiny paws grew an inch and were razor sharp, ready to cause bloodshed. Fumio didn't react. She only gave a warm, motherly smile.

Instead of going straight to Fumio's face, Kuro changed its trajectory and landed into her arms, tamed and docile, hugging her chest like a small pet animal it's supposed to be.

Beri pouted, half-expected the outcome to be like this. Fumio had an aura around her even the coldest beings of the universe wouldn't be able to withstand. The air simulated that of their own mothers, if not more powerful.

It was natural to her.

"Now, Beri, I'm talking about your ability as an Esper. Academy City's researchers have reached on a major advancement in Esper research. If you don't keep up, you'll be left behind. And, we both know how Tokiwadai takes pride in producing the most talented Espers. As a Level 4, you should really put more attention to these things. Everyone looks up to you."

"In envy, maybe. I'd rather have lunch…" Beri planted her whole body on top of the table, sulking.

"Here, I brought a whole box of apples—"

"I WANT ME-EE-EAT!"

**Part 2**

"Miss Lacoste, I'm terribly sorry, but I can not afford to waste time helping you with your personal problems when I must keep the place spotless.

Beri clung onto the waist of Ran Tsurugi, a maid-in-training, while Kuro hung onto Beri's back. Due to Beri's weight, Ran clutched onto any nearby support, dragging her across the floor. The maid might as well be climbing a steep mountain with a boulder tied to her.

The maid leaned against a nearby counter, gasping for air.

"I don't have time for this… Please, Ms. Lacoste, why not eat the delicious fruit we have in stock?"

"But Raaaaaan…" Beri whined, her eyes welling up with tears. "You're supposed to be our maid, and a maid lives to cook food for me and make me happy, don't they?"

"What's with this distorted view on maids? Look, I can't do anything about the meat shortages, so you have to just deal with it."

Ran held Beri by her shoulders, helping her stand on her feet, but that proved to be harder than she thought, because Beri preferred the idea to rot on the floor than to live a life void of meat.

"Please, get up… I don't want to give the supervisor any more reasons to replace me…"

Beri's stomach growled as loud as her groan. Thinking her life would wither away any moment now, an enchanting aroma filled the air. Beri sniffed the air like an intrigued animal.

"Wait a minute… is that…?"

Through the large double doors leading to the dining hall, a fellow student held a wooden stick pierced through chunks of cooked chicken.

"Oh," the student said as she noticed Beri and Ran. "Is Fumio not with you?"

A waterfall formed from Beri's mouth, marveling at the beauty of the seasoned chicken. "Is that yakitori!?"

"Mm! Would you like some?"

Stars sparkled in Beri's eyes as she could already taste the chicken in her mouth, experiencing an incredible high as the scent of sauce and peppers filled her nostrils.

For far too long, Beri was deprived of meat; God's gift to humans. At this moment, she was about to climb the staircase to heaven. The tender, savory meat coated in spices was waiting for her, ready to satisfy her burning desire to eat the food of the angels.

She took her first step up the staircase.

As if stepping onto a trigger, the stairs broke into different sections, leaving a pile of broken steps. The chicken up in heaven then started to fade as she ran after it, but it seemed to get farther and farther until it disappeared. Seeing it all unfold before her eyes, something inside Beri broke. Her illusion shattered and the real world soon materialized in front of her. Greeting her return was the sight of yakitori chopped into pieces on the polished wooden floors.

Beri thought of giving up her decency to finally have the taste of meat in her mouth. Before she got the chance to act, small stars made of steel flew passed her eyes, piercing and mincing the meat as it was swept away. Immediately realizing the source of the steel stars, her head, along with Kuro's, turned nearly 180 degrees. Ran yelped as she forced in a scream that could have alerted the whole district, frozen in fear from gazing into the sunken, red demonic eyes of the broken Beri.

Beri spoke, "Raaaan…. Whyyyy would you dooo something like thaaat?

Her voice sent shivers down Ran's spine. Adrenaline shot through her body, and like a flash of light, she pulled the girl who brought the chicken and whispered something into her ear.

Beri reached out to them, motioning her hands, preparing to devour their souls as substitution for the spoiled meat. "You there, girly, where did you get that meat?"

"O-oh, I, uh, I got it from home. Y-yeah, that's right, my mom is a wonderful cook, she sure is!"

The girl's legs were shaking to the point she had to rely on Ran's support to prevent collapsing.

The sound of the large double doors opening echoed throughout the room. Two more students walked through the doors, each holding a box containing pork cutlets. They were having a friendly conversation until they felt a foreboding aura within the room.

They quickly hid the box of meat behind their backs. "Oh, hi Beri…! H-how ya' doing?"

Beri carefully observed Ran from the corner of her eye, noticing her trying to escape. "Ran, why do they have specially-made tonketsu in a Tokiwadai-branded box?"

"W-well, you see, funny story, so that, um…"

Having enough of her rambling, Beri rushed towards the double doors, shoving the two students to the floor.

Panicking, Ran threw steel stars to scare Beri away from the doors, but Kuro leaped from her back and sliced the steel stars into pieces with its sharp claws.

"Please, Ms. Lacoste, let me explain!"

Beri went ahead and threw the double doors aside. On the other side was the dining hall packed with students. Tables were lined up with large plates of different types of meat, from pork to beef to seafood. Students bunched up around tables, while others had their own plates or boxes heading to find an open seat, and some were standing around eating patties and skewered chicken.

The festive atmosphere ceased when they were frightened by the loud bang of the double doors. They stared at Beri who stood frozen in shock, mind blown from the secret buffet being revealed to her. The room was filled with gasps while some started to swear. Some students were confused and asked questions such as, "Who told her?" and "What do we do now?"

Ran placed her shaking hands on Beri's shoulders. "Ms. Lacoste, please understand. Fumio is only looking after you, so of course all of Tokiwadai were fully willing to support her wishes."

**Part 3**

Fumio was walking around the Tokiwadai school grounds. She always took pleasure in seeing the happy faces on her fellow under and upperclassmen as they greet her. Along the way, Fumio bumped into Ichigo Hisaki, her junior and Tokiwadai's Garden Supervisor, who just recently achieved Level 4.

During their walk around campus, every student that walked by took their time to stop and greet Fumio, as if to them it was some sort of law. Ichigo found it to be a bit annoying having their stroll interrupted every few minutes, but she couldn't help but admire the respect the whole school had towards her. Fumio simply greeted them back, struck a quick conversation, and sent them off their way with a smile that would make them feel blessed or their hearts flutter.

"That's the 'Mother of Tokiwadai' for you," Ichigo pointed out.

"Hm?" After dismissing another classmate, she turned to Ichigo, her smile still emitting lingering effects.

"N-nothing," Ichigo averted her gaze. "Anyway, do you really think Beri will honestly change if you keep her away from eating meat? I think it will go from bad to worse if you deprive her for way too long."

"She's stubborn, but I believe she'll pull through. Once she has a taste of one of your delicious fruits, she'll have a new addiction."

"That's what I'm worried about…"

* * *

After walking around the school a number of times, they found themselves loitering around the far side of the school building. It was quiet and they were away from all other students that could be walking around as well. They were finally able to relax and observe the trees that were about to bloom. There was a long silence, but neither of them seemed to mind. The rustling of the leaves and gentle hiss of the wind was enough ambiance as they watched the trees.

After what felt like hours, Fumio broke the silence. "These trees have a lot of potential, don't they?"

Ichigo giggled. It was always amusing whenever Fumio starts rambling on about someone's, or something's, "potential". She always encouraged others to become the best they can hope to be, especially in recent times with the rapid progress in Esper research. It was amusing, because the person who insists on pushing others to reach their true potential, is the very catalyst of unlocking it.

Ichigo's eyes were fixated on Fumio; the only thing present that was more eye-catching than Tokiwadai's famous foliage, more elegant and beautiful than nature itself. However, what broke that attention was a single cherry blossom that found its way on her nose. Normally, she would just wave it off, however, she was suddenly showered by a rain of cherry blossoms.

The green trees that lined up the outskirts of the school grounds were no more. Ichigo only took her eyes off the trees for a few minutes, and the trees were already fully blooming with cherry blossoms. It looked completely unreal — as if it was something you could only see in an anime — the trees were like pink lollipops.

She was in another world right now.

A loud explosion shattered that vision. The world that was filled with white and pink turned to gray.

A giant hole was made on the wall near them. Bursting through the wall was an over-sized grizzly bear standing on both of its hind legs. There was a blonde girl hanging onto the back of the bear's shoulders, yelling in a mix of French and Japanese.

"[To the guillotine, all of you, filthy peasants! If I can't eat any meat, than none of you should either!] Ahh! Abandon ship, Kuro, abandon shiiiip! [They will never take us alive!] Waaah, I hate you so much, Fumioooo!"

Fumio and Ichigo were utmost astonished by the sudden event as they watched the large bear jump over the school gates. Once gone, they poked their heads into the large hole that it created.

It was total carnage.

Tables were destroyed, the inner walls were exposed, the roof was crumbling, and the floor was flooded from exposed pipelines. It did not help the situation when the room was filled with powerful Espers, some of which were wielding conventional and unconventional weapons, or had their abilities lingering without them knowing. One of them nearly started a fire. Some of the students started to panic, some were apologizing and begging for mercy, while others started to cry when Fumio stepped through the rubble, hands on her hips as if she was about to punish a group of children.

Ran, on the other hand, was like a corpse. Her soul had left her body after witnessing the tragic event.

**Part 4**

The sun was setting and Beri has yet to eat anything all day. Discovering the meat shortages to be a lie and the whole school went out of their way to keep the surplus of meat a secret from her was the final straw. Beri decided to take drastic measures before she finally goes insane.

Beri had escaped after causing a little bit of chaos — justifiable, in her opinion — and sprinted towards a grocery store.

Ignoring who tried to greet her, Kuro — hanging onto her shoulders like a well-behaved stuffed toy should be — growled at anyone who dared to come too close. She went straight towards the freezer aisles and grabbed a ten pound slab of beef. She then rushed towards the front. Blinded by her hunger, she gave little courtesy and safety towards those around her. After everything she's been through, those things were the last thing on her mind.

The cashier was left stunned by Beri's manners, and more so at the slab of beef being slammed on top of the counter. What horrified him the most, however, were the loony and demented eyes that stared at him, along with the waterfall seeping through the teeth, a grin as wide as a Cheshire cat, and the muttering of indecipherable words that the cashier believed to be of an alien language.

"[Meatmeatmeatmeatmeatmeatmeeeaat…]"

The cashier decided to just go ahead and service the demon child, else he gets dragged into the depths of hell for not complying. However, the cashier took a closer look at the customer and noticed the Tokiwadai uniform. Looking past the demonic aura, she fitted the description of someone he should be keeping a lookout for.

"Excuse me, Miss," he said. "You don't happened to be the one and only 'Beri Lacoste'?"

"Why, yes I am," she said in glee, snapping back to her cheerful self — an instant, drastic change. "But, how did you know who I am?"

"Ah, a sweet girl named, I believe it was Fumio, came in and told me to keep on the lookout for a blonde girl from Tokiwadai, who, very much likely, barge in searching for meet like a rabid animal and threaten the livelihood of my business."

The cashier continued on about how he was informed. He also mentioned that every source where meat is supplied — grocery shops, malls, distributors, ongoing parties, freight ships, and online shopping websites — will deny services to a certain 'Beri Lacoste'.

Beri had already blocked out the whole world. The moment the cashier mentioned the name "Fumio", the final thread in her soul snapped. She stared into an empty void. Images of Tokiwadai students appeared laying in a pool of water dyed red, accompanied with various cuts of meat. It was difficult to tell whether the cuts were from farm animals sold in stores, or the limbs of her classmates, but Beri was too lost to give a damn. Perhaps, there was still another way to find food to eat, she thought.

In the real world, Beri's abandoned body was left standing in front of the store's front counter. Customers surrounded her wondering what stopped the massive line from moving. The cashier waved his hand in front of her face and asked questions, but there was no response. Even Kuro was worried about its master's health and it started bashing the back of her head with its soft, plushie paws.

Finished with her morbid dreams, she was brought back to the physical realm and into her body. She slouched, dragging her feet as she headed outside. The clouds moved across the orange sky; her only source for comfort.

Her eye twitched. Her body started to shake. She held her head within her trembling hands, and with a deep breath, and a lack of sympathy for her throat and lungs, she screamed, a blood-curling screech shattering the glass in all of Academy City.

* * *

The sun had set and time had reached curfew. Students of Tokiwadai have already settled in their respective dormitories, getting ready for bed, if not already.

Fumio was wearing pink pajamas that contrasted with the motherly air she had, yet somehow befitting her young looks.

She sat on one of the two beds laid parallel of each other, and looked at the other that was occupied by a stuffed lion. The lion laid lifeless on its side, its eyes pointing straight at Fumio, as if looking at her with contempt and disappointment.

"Don't be like that. I'm sure she's fine."

She looked at the box of apples left on the desk on the far side of the room, and then glanced at the digital clock right next to it.

It was almost midnight.

The door slammed open. Fumio jumped, for a moment she thought she was being attacked, but her face brightened at the sight of Beri standing in the doorway. Beri dragged her feet towards her bed, her shoes scratching against the polished wooden floors, her face looking as if she died twenty times over during the past few hours. Fumio, however, paid no mind to her appearance.

"Beri, I was so worried," she said. "Where have you been? After what happened at the dining hall, I was sure you went to hiding for the rest of your life. Please, don't scare me like that ever again, okay? I don't want you hurting yourself. Beri?"

Beri refused to respond. Instead, she glared at her with cold, narrow slits, the dark bags making her eyes stand out. Any moment now, Beri was going to become Academy City's most wanted criminal.

Fumio tilted her head to the side, confused at Beri's out-of-character reaction.

With a long and loud grown of surrender, Beri turned away and threw herself on her bed. The lion toy that laid motionless moved and jumped out of the way to avoid getting squished. Fumio tried to reach out to comfort her, but Kuro and his lion friend growled at her. There was an even louder rumbling noise that drowned out the growling. It was followed by weak whimpers and soft cries.

**Part 5**

"Get ready, Kuro. We're gonna settle this once. And. For. All."

Kuro pumped its tiny paw in the air while Beri stomped towards Tokiwadai's large dome conservatory. With each step, Beri huffed, exerting more energy than necessary. It was harder on her, because she didn't have much energy to even use. She didn't have much time to sleep, and most of her energy was used up during her adventure all over Academy City, but Fumio's influence reached far and wide. She thought of going out of the city, but didn't; not because she thought it was too much work, but because she believed Fumio could have actually gone that far to stop her.

Today, Beri had only one simple goal: mass extinction of all plant life. Minor details aside, it was a genius plan worthy of multiple awards. IF this plan succeeds, human civilization will greatly benefit.

She opened the glass double doors, almost passing out in the process, leading to a long tunnel. Each side had a variety of flowers; one side native to Japan, the other foreign. The plants were between the glass exterior and running water. At the end of the tunnel, it opened to a much larger, open area. The sudden transition was like stepping into a portal to another world. Due to it being Tokiwadai, assuming that probably wouldn't be wrong.

A smooth stoned path split off towards three directions; the middle path leading across a bridge to a large patio with white decorative picnic tables and chairs, all under a roof that looked like a small flying garden. The other paths were lost in the depths of the bright and beautiful flowers. It probably just lead into a circle, but it might as well have been a path leading deeper into the garden much, much, much larger than what Beri can immediately see. What gave the garden its color and character were the fruits and vegetables lined up against the channel of water circling the inner patio and following the stone paths. Oranges, grapes, tomatoes, corn, every fruit and vegetable one could think of, or at least those that Tokiwadai students desire, were grown and displayed with striking elegance. Even fruits and vegetables that shouldn't be able to grow with this given environment were present.

She narrowed her eyes and said to Kuro, "You know what to do, mon chéri~"

Kuro jumped off Beri's back. After taking in a large amount of air, it let out a growl — more like a big puff of air. Kuro then grew in size and shape, increasing its mass and now looked like an overgrown grizzly bear. Its cute growl also turned into a ferocious, deafening roar. The only way to distinguish it from a real bear are the stitches and unnatural coloring.

Kuro went on a blind rage of fury, swinging its large arms and slashing its sharp claws at anything resembling the color green and other vividly bright colors and anything that could be considered healthy. A path of destruction was left in its wake; minced foliage, misplaced dirt, and splattered juices. The running water was also contaminated by the mess.

While Kuro went on with its business, Beri didn't take her eyes off her primary target; her mortal enemy since yesterday: the apple, and its army of even more apples, taking solitude inside their fortress of green leaves and tower of bark.

She walked towards one of the apple trees near the patio, her eyes boring a hole through its trunk. She clenched her right fist and locked onto a single area of the trunk. With a step back, she lunged forward, throwing her fist in an attempt to destroy the tree with one punch. However, before her fist could make contact with the tree, Beri collapsed, falling forward from the momentum. She curled up into a ball, rolling around and crying in pain.

"I'm so hungryyyyyy!"

"Then, why don't you take some to eat?"

A voice came from the garden entrance. There stood the garden's supervisor, Ichigo Hisaki.

"Did you want some?" she tilted her head to the side. "You could've just asked. We have plenty to go around."

Beri struggled to her feet as she gave a devilish smile, laughing at the foolish redhead, and placing her hand on the nearby tree trunk to keep her balance.

"And that's the problem," Beri said. "You thought you could take me out, huh? Now that you're a Level 4, you actually believed you could stand toe-to-toe with me, Academy City's greatest puppet master? No, no, of course you didn't. You knew you could never take on the almighty me, The Empress of the French, Beri 'Joséphine' Lacoste!"

"'Empress of—'…Wait, who's Joséphine? Do you have some kind of fantasy?"

"So, instead, you went on to take away my source of energy, the meaning of life, the very _reason_ why us humans continue to live on in this cruel and dark world. _Meat_. Well, listen up you damn devil-bitch. I, Beri 'Joséphine' Lacoste, will never let a lowly peasant like you get away with it and vanquish you to the depths of hell for all eternity. Kuro, tear her apart— buwah!"

Gallons of apples fell from the tree and buried Beri under. More apples instantly sprouted from the tree's branches until the mountain of apples was as tall as the tree itself.

**Part 6**

"But Noel… you taste like my pillow… come here…"

Beri had fallen asleep after getting knocked unconscious by a barrage of falling apples. She talked in her sleep, slurring words that made Ichigo uncomfortable.

A blanket of lavender petals were laid on top of Beri's chest. A plate of chopped apples sat on a tray table positioned near her face. Ichigo leaned over the bench and dangled a small container of black powder over Beri's face.

Beri's nose started to twitch, her eyes opened and stared groggily at the cheeky redhead.

"Had a nice nap?" Ichigo giggled.

"Ichigo…? What are you—" Beri's stomach growled.

Panicking, she rolled off the bench spilling the lavender petals and knocking over the tray table. Crawling backwards as she pointed at Ichigo, she said, "What were you doing to me? Don't think for a second that I lost. I can still fight you, you—…"

Looking past Ichigo, she found Kuro completely immobilized, wrapped head to toe with grape vines. She choked, realizing that there were no signs of Kuro's rampage throughout the garden. In fact, the garden looked more magnificent and carried more fruits and vegetation than when she first came. She looked at the ground knowing full well she had been defeated. Feeling disgraced, tears in her eyes, she slowly bowed down — head to the ground — to her opponent, who was too occupied picking up the mess Beri made.

"My mom was a perfumer."

Beri looked up, confused at Ichigo's choice of words for a victory taunt.

"And my dad was a baker. They were a good match for each other. My mom loved sweet desserts and my dad made the best pastries, meringues, cakes — well, pretty much everything — in all of Japan. Sometimes, he would bring raw ingredients to my mom so she could use them in her perfumery.

"Of course, when I was born, I helped both my parents and got acquainted with lots of different ingredients. I learned what ingredients made the best sweets, and which notes to create the best scents; even ones with medicinal effects. I loved every moment of it, being with my parents. Unfortunately, that didn't last very long. I was living with my aunt. My parents were on a cruise. They never came home. The ship they were on was reported to be hit by a lone monster-sized glacier. Turned out that the glacier was actually the ship itself frozen in ice. Needless to say, there were no survivors.

"Then my aunt took me to Academy City for new opportunities for wealth and fortune. She made me take the Power Curriculum Program to become an Esper. Turns out, the System Scan determined that I was a Level 0. After that, my aunt decided to disown me. If only I could have shown that I had even a tiny bit of potential, Academy City would have provided my aunt with more money.

"Soon after, that's when I met Fumio. She saw how much promise I had. You know how she is. 'Potential', and all that. Thing is, everything she said sounded like some stuff you hear in one of those shounen anime, but somehow, she helped me believe in myself more. I couldn't believe it when I realized she was telling the truth. One day, I buried some seeds I kept from my mom's collection of perfume materials. They were dead seeds. They can't grow. But, before my eyes, a sprout appeared where I buried the seeds. It was that very moment I became a true Esper, and since then I lived my life knowing full well that anyone, even me, can unlock that tiny bit of potential inside of them, and bloom, like that dormant seed."

Ichigo smiled, holding in her emotions by distracting herself by juggling the apples slices in the air before tossing them back onto the plate. The slices grouped together as they landed, fitting each other until they formed complete, whole apples, as if they were never sliced in the first place.

"Um…" Beri bit her lip, holding in her tears. "Why are you telling me this?"

Ichigo sighed, but shook her head. "Don't worry. That was all just useless time filler. Here, eat this apple, please?"

She poked Beri's lips with the reformed apple. Beri, pouting, refused to give.

"Stop being so stubborn. Just eat one apple, and maybe that will be enough to satisfy Fumio."

"Sacrilege," Beri burst through her shut lips. She kept her mouth shut, despite her whole head being violated by an apple. Her forehead, eyes, ears, cheeks, back of her skull; Ichigo was relentless.

It was time for drastic measures. Ichigo came back with a long, thorny vine. It made a loud snap as she whipped the air, spewing out rose petals. The sound it made almost gave Beri a heart attack.

"[Stop! Mercy, mercy, I'm sorry, please, spare me! I'll eat the apple, I'll eat it!]"

Ichigo stepped forward, ear-piercing scraping as she dragged the thorny whip across the stone pavement.

"[Wait, what are you doing? Step back!] Kuro! [I said I surrender! Please, I'm sorry, I'll do whatever you saaaaay!]"

Afraid for her own life, Beri couldn't help but yell in French. While the fear on her face was apparent, Ichigo wasn't hearing the magic words in her language.

Beri might as well have been begging for a whipping.

Looking through the tears welled up in her eyes, she could barely see the colors of the apples sitting on the table behind Ichigo. In a final effort to save her life, she threw away the last of her dignity and rushed toward the table, grabbing one of the apples.

"Look, I'm going to eat it. Are you happy— buwah!?"

As she turned around, Ichigo's face was suddenly inches away from hers. Ichigo stared intently, wondering what Beri was going to do next, as if she was some kind of object or animal on display.

She took a deep breath, slowly opening her mouth as she brought the apple up closer. For a moment, she froze, thinking carefully of what she's about to do.

She shrugged, tossing the whole apple in her mouth and started munching on it. Suddenly, her eyes widen, pupils dilated, drool escaped her lips, staring straight through Ichigo as if she didn't exist. Ichigo waved her hands and poked Beri's face. She didn't respond, still staring blankly into her eyes.

"Ah… hahaha… I may be a Level 4 now, but it looks like I still have a lot more work to do…"

**Part 7**

"Oh my, so that's what happened?"

Fumio had come to the conservatory to visit her old friend, but she also had a feeling that Beri would be here and do something senseless and hurt herself. Fortunately, Beri is fine; sitting motionless on the stone pavement, staring into space.

Fumio took a seat at the glass patio table. Kuro, back to a normal-sized teddy bear, sat on top of it sharing a carrot cake with Ichigo.

"Perhaps, this approach of depriving her of meat in order for her to eat healthier food was the wrong way to go about it," Fumio said.

Ichigo looked at her with a face that said: "you think?"

She said, "In the end, her condition is my fault. I still have a lot more to work on."

Completely immobilizing Beri with an apple was not her intent. She only wanted to change her opinion on fruits by giving her the most delicious apple she will ever taste in her life. By altering the apple's genetic structure, she can determine the apple's freshness, taste, effects, and many other properties; a technique that granted her Level 4 status, and she only started doing it recently. However, due to a tiny mistake in calculations, the apple that was supposed to be absolutely sweet and delicious, turned out to be equivalent to multiple doses of hardcore drugs.

"You've come a long way," Fumio smiled. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You did what you could. You know, you've grown so much since you were just a Level 0, and you went from living in a shelter to being a student in Tokiwadai. I'm proud of you, and I promise that there are others out there that are just as happy to see you grow."

"Y-yeah," Ichigo turned away to hide her immense blushing, but mostly to avoid seeing Fumio's smile.

"We didn't get a chance yesterday, but how about we celebrate right now?"

Fumio sat a small box on the table. Inside the box was a collection of fine cuts of various meats, octopus, and sashimi.

"It's not much, but I think it will suffice."

"You kept all that from Beri and you decide to bring it out NOW!?"

"Well, I actually intended on giving this to Beri after I realized this plan was a mistake. But, it seems like she won't be able to join us for quite a while."

Beri's body started to tilt and fell over like a doll.

"Well, in a way, the plan sorta worked. In any case, I don't want all of _this_ to spoil. Care to have some, Miss Level 4?"

**Part 8**

Yomikawa Aiho was driving, visiting elementary schools scattered around Academy City. There were only a couple of months left until summer vacation. This year, she was selected to teach kids the life of an officer in the hopes of inspiring even just one child to pursue and preserve the peace and justice throughout Academy City.

"Yeah, my hands will be pretty full for the next couple of days," she said through her cellphone. "I hear one of the schools I'm visiting is where a certain 'child prodigy' is currently attending, and she's about to hit middle school. What do you think?

"Hey, I'm not going to force her to join, but you're definitely right that having her will surely make things a lot easier. She'll be our most valuable recruit. Her ability will come in handy as well.

"Don't worry about me. I told you I was excited about doing it this year. All right, I just made it to the next school. I'll speak to you later."

Disconnecting her cellphone, she pulled over to the side and stepped out of her car. Marveling at the school in front of her, she took a deep breath, looking forward to seeing Academy City's bright future.

In the middle of the open area in front of the school were students in blue and white uniforms lined up to formally welcome their visitor. Out of all the kids in attendance, only one stood out from the rest; a girl with chestnut brown hair and bright red cheeks.

"How's it goin'? My name is Yomikawa Aiho, and I'm an officer of Anti-Skill. Nice to meet all of you. Before we start, does anyone have any questions?"


	2. Never Judge Others, Part 1

**Part 9**

Ichigo had entered Beri and Fumio's dorm room to show them a flyer advertising a huge sale.

"A 'Grand Opening'?" Fumio scanned the flyer.

"A shop that sells a whole bunch of stuffed animal plushies is opening at the mall today. In order to attract many first-time customers, their whole stock will be at least 60% off."

Fumio continued looking through the flyer, gathering as much information she can get from it. Not only did it sell stuffed toys, the shop also sold collectibles, figures, pillows, clothes, and anything else one can think of that a company could brand and still market to children.

"60%? Are you sure this isn't some kind of hoax?" There was hesitation in Fumio's words. She scanned the flyer over and over in her head, and each time her body trembled more and more.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo said. "I can go and ask if it makes you feel better."

Beri tossed a meatbun in her mouth and grabbed another from her bag. "What's the name of the store?"

Fumio turned the flyer over and hid her face behind it, slowly inching towards Beri.

"Oh," Beri said, tossing another meatbun in her mouth and quickly devouring it. "Yeah, it's the real deal. L'evenche Animals. It's one of the largest toy companies in all of France."

Ichigo sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. It would have been embarrassing turning up without a sale in sight."

"Yeah, no, it's real. My plush toys were all made by this company. Well, except for Kuro. Whenever they open up a shop anywhere, they always have a huge sale like this. It's like a holiday. It's pretty expensive stuff, so they aren't losing as much as you'd think."

"Well, at least we know it's good. Aren't you excited?"

"My collection at home is probably bigger than the store's whole stock."

Fumio lowered the flyer revealing her eyes glistening with tears.

"I don't wanna go," Beri said.

Fumio was rather excited about the grand opening, more so after hearing Beri's confirmation of its legitimacy. However, no matter how much she gave Beri her desperate eyes, Beri had no desire in going. Unlike the rest of Tokiwadai, Beri wasn't easily swayed by her.

Beri ate another meatbun, "Mu."

Fumio wiggled her body, shoving the flyer closer to Beri's face.

"Mm meh mu!"

This continued back and forth.

Ichigo let out a nervous laugh as she watched the quarrel between the stern Beri and the cute and childish Fumio. It was a scene she didn't think she would ever witness outside of this dorm room.

"Fumio, would you like to come to the grand opening? I'm going to be busy handling the garden, but I'll try to make it later. In the meantime, I have a friend who loves collecting stuffed animals as well. You can join her if you'd like."

Fumio nodded. "Please, Beri?" She begged, grabbing Beri's hands and placing them on her heart. "You know a lot about this store. Help me look for things to buy. The cuter the better. Please, I'll owe you."

"I already have enough stuffed animals… And you have enough pajamas."

The closet in their dorm was filled with Fumio's pajamas in various colors she thought were cute. Some had patterns all over them; animal faces, fruits, whatever she found cute. They have bought a separate wardrobe larger than their dorm closet to hold even more of Fumio's pajamas, and at least some room for Beri's clothes.

"I get it…" Ichigo sighed. "Beri, the mall has a lot of restaurants that have the finest barbecue in all of—"

There was a sudden gust of wind and the door slammed shut behind her. Before she realized what happened, Beri and Fumio were already gone, leaving only the flyer drifting in the air.

**Part 10**

It was the grand opening of a certain french toy store. Posters were plastered all over the mall's front entrance and nearby lamp posts. People wearing rather stylish clothing — beige suits and dress pants — were handing out additional flyers advertising the opening and major sale.

Leaning against the glass window at the corner of the mall's front side were two middle school girls in their black and red uniforms.

"No, that's fine, I'm looking forward to it," one of the girls said into their cellphone. "I really hope you get here before everything is sold out."

A group of students walked by showing off their new stuffed animals and accessories. Young kids were begging for their mothers to enter the mall so they could get their own as well.

The younger of the two girls was hopping in place, looking back and forth at her older sister and the mall entrance.

"Siiiis, we need to goooo or there won't be anything left for uuuuus!"

"Settle down, Yuria. We promised Ichigo to wait for her here. She's going to be late, but she told us her friends are coming to join us."

She noticed someone walk into the mall with a green band around their upper arm.

Her eye twitched and her face contorted. "Looks like the fun will be over soon. Damn Judgment officers."

Yuria pressed her body against the glass window as if trying to phase through it. People were walking around carrying the same brand of plushies. Balloons of animal heads and colorful banners were everywhere. It looked less like a shopping center and more like a convention.

"Siiiis, you can see iiit, riight? Do you see what I seeee?"

"Yeah, yeah, I see. Just stop singing. You're not even the collector here. Can't believe you're just a year younger than me. Oh, is that them? Look, they're he— would you get off the damn ground!?"

"Uu… I don't care as long as we can finally get insiiide…"

Yuria started to hyper-ventilate. With all the customers walking around with their new toys, her patience was growing thin. If she didn't step inside soon, she will lose her mind.

The older sister yelled, "What are you doing under my skirt?"

Yuria sighed in relief, her heart now beating at a normal rate. The warmth between her sister's legs and the breeze through her skirt calmed her down. That was until she poked her head from under the skirt and found herself face-to-face with a large grizzly bear.

"Woooah…"

"Great, so now they're two animals! Get the hell away!" the older sister yelled before stomping Yuria's head to the ground.

* * *

 "My name is Hikari Utsuwa," she said in an uninterested tone. "And this is my little sister, Yuria."

"Nice to meet ya," Yumio jumped, covering her redden forehead with her hands.

Fumio returned the friendly gesture. The sisters were in awe at her aura that can only be described as "godlike", hypnotized by her bright smile and graceful posture.

Beri laid exhausted on the back of a fully-grown Kuro. When they left the dorm room, it was Beri who sprinted while dragging Fumio with her, but along the way they spotted a couple of students with stuffed animals. It made Fumio anxious and caused them to switch roles; she sprinted as fast as she could while Beri flapped through the wind like a kite.

"Uwah~" Yuria petted Kuro. "Can I ride on his back too?"

"No," Beri said, half-alive.

Hikari crossed her arms. "The hell is that? You're that Lacoste chick, right? Yeah, Ichigo told me about you. I expected better manners from a fellow toy collector, you damn foreigner."

Beri lazily climbed down, sighing as she regretted leaving Kuro's fluffy back. "I really don't have the time for this, okay? We're just here to window shop and possibly buy pajamas."

Beri and Hikari stared into each other's eyes, both filled with killer intent. Meanwhile, Kuro was enjoying himself being petted by Yuria.

With the growing tension between the two bickering girls, Fumio tried to start a friendly conversation. "Oh, did you say 'fellow toy collector'? Does that mean you're the collector Ichigo mentioned?"

Despite Yuria's excitement about buying a whole bunch of stuffed animals, Hikari collected them as a hobby. She didn't look at the store's grand opening the same as most girls, but just another opportunity to grow her collection. Even without the sale, she would have come anyway.

"I see," Beri said narrowing her eyes, grinning. "So, you're here to buy more, huh? Well then, allow me to give you permission. Mine is probably bigger than this store will have in stock. Actually, I might as well be the owner."

Hikari stepped back, her pride wounded, pissed at Beri's spoiled princess attitude. She clenched her first and took a fighting stance.

Beri laughed. "Ohoho, so you wanna go, eh?"

Fumio tried to hold her back, but Beri brushed it aside and stepped towards the older sister.

"Get ready you little—…"

Beri's eyes widen as she stopped in her tracks. Hikari held her ground, wondering why Beri stopped her charge. Suddenly, Beri rushed forward. Hikari was caught off-guard, but managed to cock her fist. However, Beri was too fast and Hikari flinched, getting ready to take a blow.

She didn't feel any pain, or felt anything at all. Confused, she turned around. She stood dumbfounded as Beri sat on top of one of the mall's employees, eating the free samples of food they were giving away.

**Part 11**

It was one of the larger-sized stores in the mall; taking up two — maybe three — regular stores. "L'evenche" was displayed in large golden letters above the entrance. Inside, it seemed to stretch forever in every direction.

"This is amaziiiing," Yuria rushed to the nearest pool of plushies while holding a small Kuro in her arms.

"Is this what stores look like in France, or is this company completely insane?" Hikari sweated, feeling lost as she drew the store's layout in her head.

Hikari looked around from her position to find the first point of interest. She started to move but stopped when Fumio asked her what she's looking for.

"The stuffed animals, of course," she said rather listless. "Don't be surprised by my enthusiasm. I do plan on buying every stuffed toy they have, but… I'm not sure. I'm just trying to find one that…"

She lost herself in her thoughts. She looked off towards the direction of playful cheering.

Yuria and a group of children stood atop a large castle that reached the store's ceiling. One by one, they slid down a large slide into a pool of colorful plastic balls and plush toys.

"Hikari?"

Hikari shook her head, scratching her hair as her cheeks turned red. "Why do you care? A collector must look for the quality of the item before anything else. That's it."

With that, Hikari headed off, walking through the flood of balloons and serpentining around the island displays of merchandise and collectibles.

"By the way," Hikari remembered. "Where's Lacoste?"

* * *

 "Where is everyone? I can't see…"

Beri wandered around on a different floor from the rest of the group. She lost sight of them after spending too much time checking out the different restaurants, enjoying their aroma, and taking any free samples.

Tears ran down her face, but she wasn't crying. No matter how much she tried to focus her eyes, she felt disoriented. Nearby people and objects contrasted with the background. It was all a blur and was putting too much stress on her eyes. The bright lights from the ceiling wasn't helping either.

"Now I remember why I never shop at malls…"

Beri leaned against a pillar. She rubbed her eyes, but it was only a temporary solution until she looked back at her surroundings. Finding the toy store should be top priority, she thought. The faster she can find Fumio, the better. She shaded her eyes with her hand. She wouldn't be able to see farther than a couple meters from her feet, but it was better than torturing her eyes for even longer.

She took careful steps to avoid bumping into pillars, advertisements, and other people. It was harder than she thought, but she managed. That was until a spicy aroma invaded her nose. To her side was a Korean-style barbecue restaurant that did their cooking in front of its customers. Her mouth started to water. Distracted, she bumped into another person and fell backwards.

"Oh no, you cute thing!"

Beri was dazed from the fall. Once she came back to her senses, her face was between the bosom of another woman. Realizing this, her faced turned a deep red, both in embarrassment, but also in anger due to their size.

"Are you okay? I hope I didn't hurt you."

That voice, Beri couldn't tell if she was mocking her, or she genuinely believed that Beri was a small child.

Beri pushed the busty stranger away, finding the air to breathe.

 _You've got be kidding me_.

The girl didn't look that much older than her. She looked like another middle schooler, but the size of her chest was that of an idol's. In a way, Beri felt threatened.

The girl tilted her head. "Are you feeling all right?"

Beri couldn't take her eyes off her abnormal-sized chest. She swallowed her saliva and her eyes slowly tried to wander until she noticed a green strap around her upper arm.

Her eyes dipped in annoyance. "Greeaat… you part of Judgment or something?"

"Ta-dah~!" she twirled, her chest bouncing. "That I am!"

Beri averted her gaze as she rubbed her eyes. "Just when you think these bastards had enough reasons to degrade us common folks, they send out this monster," she muttered so the officer wouldn't hear.

"Are you lost or anything? Want me to help?"

"I'll be fine…" Beri said under her breath, rubbing her eyes with her palm. A tear escaped and ran down her cheek.

"Oh dear, are you crying? Here, let me help you with that."

Beri stepped back, but the girl wrapped her arms around Beri's shoulders and kissed her eyelids until they dried.

"Are you feeling better?"

"I… I-I… W-what do you think you're doing!?"

* * *

 Beri stood in front of a reception desk in the lobby of a backroom office. The floors had a soft carpet that made it feel like she would sink if she didn't move around for too long. There was a cabinet with a glass display with a large amount of trophies and awards, some with the Judgment emblem on them.

From what that Judgment officer said, this is supposed to be a Judgment Branch Office. She leaned over and peeked around the corner, looking down a long hallway with multiple doors. She wondered what were through those doors. Probably a mess from paperwork, she thought, but the lobby was kept very tidy for a workplace for officers.

"I just needed help finding a store…"

The Judgment officer she met told her to wait here for assistance. She had called someone to help her. Beri thought she might as well stay despite how trivial her problem might be to officer who could be busy with more important matters. They did offer to help, after all.

There was a sound of a door opening and closing with footsteps that were barely loud enough to hear due to the soft floorwork. Around the corner came a taller male officer. He wore a blue jacket around his shoulders and a police cap tilted to the side. On the front of the cap was the Judgment emblem.

Their eyes met. Beri shot up from her seat and saluted. "Beri Lacoste. Second Year at Tokiwadai Middle School. Level 4. Puppet Master. W-what the hell was that?"

She gave away her information without thinking about it as if something in her head told her to do so and she had no control over her mouth.

"Okay, Lacoste," he said, losing his patience. "What is it that you want? No one is allowed to be here without an accompanied officer of my branch, so be happy I'm bothering to give you my time."

"I, uh, was told by another Judgment officer to wait here for assistance."

"Impossible. The other officers of this branch are currently off-duty. I'm the only one present at the moment."

"But, it's true! I just wanted to find the new stuffed animal store that opened up today, but I ran into an officer with a huge set."

"I don't recognize anyone like that, and even if I did, they are not part of my Branch and they shouldn't be patrolling outside of their jurisdiction."

"But…!"

"The store you're looking for is on the second floor. There is no way you could have missed it." He grabbed Beri's shoulder and turned her towards the door, pushing her. "Now, leave."

Her arms shook as she clenched her fists. "Where do you get off bossing around someone who's just trying to get help?"

"I don't have time for this," he said rolling his eyes. He picked up a piece of paper from the reception desk and started reading it.

Beri was about to lose it. She gave these officers a chance because they happened to be nice for one time, but she should have known this was the kind of attitude she would encounter working with these tools. Typical Judgment officers. She sure as hell didn't want anything else to do with them, but she thought she could take this opportunity to give him a piece of her mind, but before she could act, she was already heading out the door.

After leaving the Branch Office, Beri walked blindly towards the middle of a cross intersection on that floor. She stood there staring into space for a moment before snapping out of it.

"Now listen here you bas—… What the…?"

She looked around trying to figure out how she got here from the Branch Office lobby. Scanning her surroundings, her vision started to blur and tears welled in her eyes.

"I… I still can't see…!"

**Part 12**

Hikari explored the entire store, walking a path she had set for herself so no parts of the store would be hidden from her. She walked that path many times now and showed no fatigue. She memorized the placement of every toy, key chain, hats, pencil boxes, and everything else sold and could tell whether one had moved from their original position from another customer's fiddling. She's been walking around this whole time because none of the stuffed animals on display had "clicked" for her.

With a sigh, she picked up a stuffed snow leopard and headed towards the front. On her way, a soft object hit her behind her head. She looked at the ground to see a curled up stuffed snake.

Looking at the snake, her vision faded and slowly transitioned to what seemed to be colorful fluffballs near her face. Light was shining through between the cracks. Sounds of giggling can be heard.

Her vision went back to normal and the toy snake was back into her sights. She looked down the path she came from noticing a large pile of plushies built up like a small mountain. She walked up towards the mountain of plush toys and kicked it, scaring nearby shoppers as the toys flew in every direction.

"Huwaw~! You found us~!"

Yuria and Kuro jumped out of the pile of stuffed animals, throwing their arms around in celebration.

"Ooh, is that what you're getting, sis?" She pointed at Hikari's snow leopard. "It looks just like you."

"What the hell do you mean by that? Anyway, are you done playing around? Hurry up and get something you like."

"I already have one, see?" Yuria held up a similar animal as Hikari's, but instead of black spots, it had stripes. "It reminded me of you, but now that you have one just like it, this one can be me! They're sisters!"

Hikari blushed from her sister's sudden outburst. Embarrassed and unsure whether to take the comparison to a wild animal as a compliment or not, she was about to say something back. However, before her words could leave her mouth, Yuria pressed her tiger against the leopard. Yuria laughed as the stuffed animals looked like they were hugging. Seeing the happiness on her little sister's face, Hikari smiled and petted her.

They headed towards the front together with Kuro hanging on Yuria's shoulders. Near the front, they were taken aback by Fumio holding a number of large bags filled with pajamas in each hand.

"You two ready to find Beri?" Fumio said.

As if on cue, all of the lights inside the mall were turned off, shrouding the whole place in darkness. Everyone in the building were asking each other the same question: "What's going on?" Then, a loud voice amplified by a megaphone alerted everyone in the area. A high school boy was giving out instructions for an evacuation.

"Everyone, please stay calm. Everything is under control. Please stop whatever you are doing and slowly walk towards the exit immediately."

"Excuse me." Fumio ran up to the boy, the sisters following behind. "Could you tell us what's going on?"

"What are you doing?" Hikari warned her. "That's a Judgment officer. They're not going to play nice."

"Young lady, I told you to leave the building immediately."

"But I have a friend who's lost. We can't leave until we find her."

The officer narrowed his eyes. "Hold on… are you…"

Hikari grabbed Fumio's shoulder and pulled her back slightly. "Let's just go. These guys are nothing but—"

Fumio grabbed the officer's hand and stared at him with her wide eyes.

The Judgment officer sighed and said what seemed like jargon and protocol numbers into the radio near his shoulder. There wasn't a response after he finished speaking.

"Don't worry. Leave the mall and get a safe distance away. We will have your friend safe and sound. I promise."

The officer walked away repeating the same instructions into the megaphone as he headed towards the next floor up.

Hikari placed a hand on Fumio's shoulder. Fumio looked at her with a worried face and nodded.

* * *

 Those near the entrance have already left the building while those from the second floor are still on their way out. Those on the higher floors probably still have no idea what's going on, but those gathering outside were just as confused.

A female Judgment officer was standing within the crowd. Adjusting her glasses, she looked at the elementary school student next to her; her apprentice and officer-in-training.

"Stay right here and wait for me."

The shorter girl crossed her arms. "No fair. I'm part of Judgment too, aren't I? I can take care of myself following you on missions."

"You still need more training before you can tackle actual missions. Besides, I have a bad feeling about this. If you get hurt, you won't be able to continue training as an officer, you know."

The girl pouted, admitting defeat. Her senior patted her on the head and ran off, twisting her way through the crowd and entering the mall.

There was a loud explosion. Screams filled the air as more people ran out of the building. There was smoke coming out from the rooftop. Debris was blown away, pulverizing the smaller buildings nearby. The smoke soon covered the sun, blanketing the block in shade.

Yuria held onto her sister, burying her face into her shoulder. Hikari hugged her to keep her calm.

"Hey, Fumio, is that friend of yours going to be all right?"

She expected Fumio to respond with assuring words about her friend's safety, but Fumio remained silent and kept staring up at the building. The area had gotten dark under the smoke, but Hikari noticed something glowing in Fumio's eyes.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a tug on her shoulder. Yuria was on the verge of tears.

"Sis… Where's Kuro…?"

**Part 13**

It was the fourth floor. People were starting to panic from the explosion. Some were rushing towards the escalators and stairs. Some were desperate enough to ignore the hazards of the current situation by taking the elevators. It was getting more chaotic by the minute when more people from the higher floors came down. With how dark it was, there were bound to be accidents, but it beats having her own eyes burning in their sockets.

Beri stood near a pillar. She wasn't sure what the cause of the explosions were, but she figured she would be safer being away from the chaos. Some students had the same idea, gathering together for comfort.

A loud voice echoed throughout the floor. It sounded familiar. It was commanding and with vigor and filled the heart with morale. The chaotic atmosphere then eased and the shoppers moved at an orderly fashion, evacuating the floor without any trouble.

Beri followed the voice, squeezing through the waves of people. There he stood; a familiar boy directing the crowd where to go and keeping them all in line. As Beri got closer, she could make out a blue jacket and a police cap.

"Hey, it's—"

"You think you're so tough?"

A group of boys surrounded the officer like bullies picking on a kid in a back alley.

"Just because you're a Judgment officer, you think you can tell us what to do?" he said poking the officer's chest with his knuckle. "Are you stupid?"

Anyone that could hear their altercation stopped in their tracks and listened.

The officer kept his composure and a stern face. "It's my responsibility as a Judgment officer to protect the lives of the students in Academy City."

"Yeah, yeah, that's what they all say, but you're just in it for a promotion, aren't ya? I think you have enough luxuries, you selfish, greedy fuck. Everyone's had enough with you damn officers leeching off the higher ups and leaving the rest of us in the dirt."

One of the other boys whispered in the leader's ear.

"Hold on… Oh, I see, you're one of those head captains, huh? So you're up there with the worst of them. You've got some nerve showing your face in public."

The officer shined his flashlight in their faces, blinding them for a second. "I'm flattered you know who I am. Understand that I'm here to make sure the evacuation goes smoothly as possible and make sure no one gets hurt. Especially suicidal ones like you." The officer narrowed his eyes. "Unless, you wish to join Judgment and risk your life facing off against the real threat?"

Whispers filled the air and those who stopped and watched carried on to the lower floor.

The leader of the group clicked his tongue and waved his hand. "Leave this punk. Let's go."

As they left, the officer sighed and collected his thoughts. He felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Tough day at work?" Beri said nonchalantly. "So you do take your job seriously."

The officer coughed, regaining his composure. "You should really get going. Get to safety until Anti-Skill gets here."

"Yeah, well, I was about to, but it's pretty crowded as you know and—"

The officer pulled Beri's arm and kissed her forehead. He pushed her away and she was caught by an ongoing wave, forced to follow them and take the escalator.

He motioned his hands leading the shoppers to their destination and resumed ordering instructions. For a moment, it was going smoothly until the shoppers became agitated and ran, pushing others out of the way and bottlenecking the top of the escalator.

_Damnit, I had it all under control._

Knowing he had lost control over the shoppers, he jumped over the railing and fell to the lower floors.

Beri was halfway down the escalator. She was flustered and her face was completely red. "W-what the hell is with that guy!?"

She held her forehead, still able to feel the spot where the officer kissed. She wasn't sure if she was trying to preserve it or trying to prevent it from spreading. She couldn't think of anything else, but it replayed in her head over and over.

The ride down was going smooth until she was pushed from behind, almost causing a domino effect. The whole thing was starting to piss her off, but she understood the anxiety everyone may have been feeling.

There was a gust of wind and a blue hue that dropped from above, but Beri couldn't get a good look due to the darkness. When she looked up at the floor she came from, her eyes widen at the sight of people shoving their way through. It was like a funnel, but there was no way all of them could get on. It was like an avalanche of bodies, and Beri was about to be swept away by it. The last thing she heard was screaming until everything turned black.

* * *

 It was dark and cold. The touch on Beri's skin was cold as ice and there wasn't anything in sight other than pure darkness.

This is what it's like to be dead, she thought. However, if that were the case, how did she think of that in the first place?

A faint voice echoed throughout the dark. It kept repeating. She wanted to block it out as it was starting to get annoying, but it kept getting louder and louder. Then the darkness turned into a blur. Long and very thin slits of light pierced through the empty void.

"Are you okay?"

The voice became clear and the light grew stronger. The muscles of her eyelids reacted, and the slits slowly opened wider.

"Hey, you're awake. You okay?"

The voice was loud and clear. With her eyes starting to open all the way, she immediately closed them when the light became too much to bear.

"Please… Stop shining that light in my eyes…"

The light was aimed away from her face. She was helped up, and once she stood, she realized the person that helped her was the same Judgment officer. Before she could thank him, he pulled her and held her in his arms. It was so sudden. She didn't know how to respond, or if she should do anything at all. His warmth was clouding her mind.

**Part 14**

Beri sat at an empty public table in the middle of the dark. The seat on the other side was empty. Her breathing was getting erratic and she was shaking in her seat. Sitting out in the open inside a dark mall, she felt that at any moment, some monster will appear from the darkness and devour her.

She yelped as footsteps came from behind. A large milkshake was set on the table in front of her. She looked at it for a moment until looking back up at the seat that was now occupied by the stylish Judgment officer. He didn't have a beverage of his own, but he seemed to prefer staring at Beri which made it uncomfortable for her.

Breaking the silence, Beri spoke. "Shouldn't we be on our way out?"

"The emergency shut down doors have been activated. We're stuck in here for a couple hours."

"Then what about that explo—"

"All taken care of. Just relax and drink your shake. There won't be anyone here for a while, so it's fine."

All of this was weird and out-of-the-blue. The timing of it was strange; right after a total evacuation and inside a dark and empty mall. His attitude was also much different than the first time she met him.

Maybe it's nothing, she thought. Beri adjusted the straw and took a sip of the milkshake. From the first sip, it tasted wonderful, so she continued drinking. The officer smiled and laughed as Beri's face looked like a happy child.

In just seconds, Beri cleaned out her glass and let out a sigh of satisfaction.

"Thank you for that."

"Anything for a cute one like you."

Beri caught her glass from tipping over. "What's with you? You've been acting all weird."

"I'm just having a little fun with you."

"See, there you go again. Could you stop?"

Beri avoided his eyes by looking away, but she could still feel his gaze. She was starting to turn red from the weird sensation. "…I've never gotten your name."

The officer sat up, raising his eyebrows in surprise. He blew his spiky bangs and checked his clothing for a quick second. "It's Takeshi Yamanoue," he coughed.

"Yamanoue, huh?"

"Yeah, you heard? Highest ranking Judgment officer and head captain of Branch Office 61. With my standing and connections, everything regarding Judgment and even Anti-Skill is relayed to me. Sometimes the governing board. I guess you can say that I'm the 'bridge'."

Beri was in awe. She wasn't sure how the inner workings of the organization worked, but she was impressed at how much respect and responsibility was given to a single person in Judgment. With the location of the office and how he looked, it probably isn't a surprise.

There was a loud grumbling sound.

"What was that?" Takeshi looked around. There was another long growl. He looked at Beri who had her head down, but he could easily see her whole head glowing bright red.

He laughed. "I'll get something for you to eat, okay?"

She nodded and Takeshi got up and disappeared into the darkness, leaving Beri alone.

After a few minutes, there were footsteps. Beri held her hand out to block a bright light shining at her face.

"Is that you, Takeshi? That light still hurts my eyes."

The light dimmed and Takeshi stood next to Beri. Beri's eyes widen when she noticed the scary glare on his face.

"Is… Is something the matter?"

Takeshi grabbed her arm, twisting it and pulled her up as she cried in pain.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Ow, watch it," she cried, trying to pry his tight grip from her arm. "What's with you? I thought you were getting us something to eat."

"Stop fucking with me," he said, twisting and yanking her arm as if trying to remove it from its socket.

"But," she yelped, "you brought me a milkshake, see? And then you left because I was hungry."

Using his height, he pulled Beri's arm up and dangled her for a couple seconds before throwing her to the ground.

"Enough with your bullshit. I'm taking you into custody. I could interrogate you right now, but that's up to Anti-Skill."

He reached out to grab her again, but he was hit in the head by a hard object. Dazed for a second, he looked at what hit him and noticed it was a flashlight similar to his. He pointed his own flashlight towards where it came from and saw the silhouette of a person, but before he could take a closer look, the glass of his flashlight shattered. There were loud footsteps, and at that instant, Takeshi found himself knocked on his back.

Beri, still stunned and on the floor, quickly backed away after hearing the loud thumps. After a while, her eyes adjusted to the constant darkness and could barely make out Takeshi laying flat on the ground. Another person was standing over him. Beri couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the same hat and jacket, but she thought she was dreaming when the person had Takeshi's face.

A shiver ran down her spine when her eyes met his and saw the large grin on his face that said: "Want to watch me hurt him some more?"


	3. Never Judge Others, Part 2

**Part 15**

Beri peeked around the corner of the pillar. Takeshi was on the other side sitting against the base. He breathed hard and heavy as if doing so was putting a burden on his body.

"Hey, are you all right?" Beri knew that wasn't the most fitting question to ask, but she figured it would provide some kind of comfort and relief; at least for herself if not for him.

"Get away from here…"

"What? But what about you?"

"I said run…!"

A small wooden stick shot passed between their faces. It struck the pillar and stuck out, cleanly impaling into the cement structure. Beri cursed under her breath and quickly crawled back behind the pillar.

"What do you mean 'run'?"

The voice came from Takeshi, but it sounded like he was mocking himself.

An amorous aroma wafted through the air. Some sort of sauce. Juicy and spicy. A line of drool escaped Beri's lips while her heart started beating faster. For a split moment, the fear from her situation diminished and the only thing on her mind was finding the source of that smell.

Beri turned around the corner of the pillar again to find the source, but instead she witnessed an act so terrifying and disturbing.

Takeshi's duplicate started to twist and distort like a slime in a child's hand. The overall figure that was a complete mirror image of Takeshi slowly transformed into a more feminine form.

"You know your ability can't work on me," said a female voice.

Takeshi tried to push himself up, but was forced back down from the weight of the figure's foot.

Beri traced the foot back up its long leg until her eyes stopped at a mechanical utility belt that sat loosely on slender hips. Her eyes widen as she realized she was staring at a fully exposed girl with only a worn-out blue jacket, the collar snapped around her neck as if it were a cape.

"Heeey, Takeshiii~ Ya miss me?"

"Damnit, Agent," Takeshi said through his teeth, grabbing her ankle to loosen the pressure of his collar bone, but all he managed to do was provoke her to crush his chest even more.

Agent held a box and pulled from inside a stick of skewered meatballs. She slid the meatballs off the stick with her teeth, leaving behind a coating of sauce.

"So, like, I'm _preeetty_ damn sure you're aware of the limits of your ability, but damn I can't forget that you're so _stupid_. If only they chose your head to stick their probes in instead. That would've be fuuuu- _un!_ "

She flicked the stick at Takeshi's face and kicked him in the chest.

"But then again, maybe you knew what you were doing. Maybe… just maybe, you _wanted_ to kill hundreds of people and make it look like some kind of accident. Maybe… Maybe you're just fucking _crazy_! Like, like me! Ohhh Takeshi, I knew you'd finally grow some sense—"

"Fuck off," he barked.

"Hey, you watch your mouth."

"You damn bitch."

"That's better," she sighed. "I was just joking, geez. Here, you want one?" She held a stick of meatballs near his face. "You damn well ruined my date, but at least I can have some fun with you."

"What are you even doing here? What reason did you have to attack my mall?"

"Woooah woah woah, hold on. 'Your mall'?" She clicked her tongue. "I don't think I need much of a reason other than I _own_ this damn city— hell, even Alistair knows that, and I'll put you in that tube with him so he can tell you all his stories. But, long story short, there was someone I had to kill. Pretty borin', though."

The mechanical belt around her waist shook as she swayed her hips.

"Explosives just aren't my thing, but whatcha gonna do?."

"You bitch," Takeshi growled through his teeth and tried to push himself up to grab Agent.

"Woooah, there, there boy. Sit. I said _sit_ , damnit."

Agent gave Takeshi a few seconds of struggle to get up before slamming him back down, kicking his head against the pillar.

"Good boy," she giggled. "Look, you already know why I'm here, and let's face it, you know that I know that you know that I know that we both know how _special_ today is, right? You got that email so don't fuckin' lie to me. That's why you just went, 'fuck it', and _craaaash_ bodies hit the floor _wam wam_. I, too, did something uncharacteristic for a change today: I took out a criminal— well I think that's more of a coincidence. But but but, I did try to evacuate everyone out the building before you fucked it up. If anything, you should be _thanking_ me. I guess our 'Super Top Head Chief Officer' or whatever the fuck just can't do his job properly. Disappointin', man."

While Agent continued to mock him, Takeshi noticed behind her a girl hiding behind the island of plants in the middle of the area. He could barely make out her glasses and the unmistakable Judgment logo strapped around her upper arm.

It was Konori Mii.

It was very likely she was observing the situation until it was the time to strike.

Knowing Agent, waiting is a pointless effort.

After a moment, Konori ran across the open and charged for Agent. She swung her arm, but with a quick duck and slide, Agent dodged the attack without much effort. Using her momentum, she counter with a kick. Konori's body folded in half around Agent's leg before dropping to the floor.

Takeshi took advantage of the distraction and lunged forward, but a shock of pain ran up his leg and forced him to collapsed.

One of the wooden sticks coated with juices was impaled in Takeshi's leg.

Another went through his shoulder. He pulled it out and endured the pain in both his shoulder and leg as he threw himself forward. His target was Agent's head.

Agent tossed the box of meat in the air and grabbed Takshi's arm as it swung towards her head. She dodged the attack and locked his arm between her own arm and torso. Putting leverage, Takeshi's arm was on the verge of snapping and he let go of the stick. Agent twisted her body and threw him against the floor, rolling until he hit the pillar.

She immediately caught the box and took out another meatball stick. "You know, I _wondered_ why she started comin' after me so soon. I thought she'd stay put for a bit longer. Yes, Takeshi, I woooonder why."

She kept a straight face — at least, what she considered her "straight face". A wide, sinister grin thirsty for blood and sharp eyes that took in pleasure from what's about to happen next.

"This is your final lesson, Takeshi. _This_ is how you take someone's head."

Between the eyes. Agent sliced through the air, following the path that would cleanly insert the sauce-coated stick into Takeshi's skull and mash that brain of his.

Agent was high from the rush. The blood, the thrill, the look that will be on Takeshi's face once she makes fun of him for dying so soon. But that dissipated when another obstacle got in her way yet again.

Agent stopped herself from delivering the final blow when Beri stopped in front of her. Despite already being still, Beri grabbed Agent's wrist as if by pure instinct to stop her from killing Takeshi.

Agent raised an eyebrow and tilted her head to see Takeshi looking just as surprised at Beri's reckless act.

"So, uh…" Agent observed Beri head to toe. "…Whatcha doooin'?"

Beri trembled and found it hard to breath properly. Her eyes widen as if she's seen a ghost. She couldn't find the words to speak; she didn't know how to speak at all. Only puffs of air and whimpers left her lips.

Agent rolled her eyes. Too mcuh time wasted. With Beri too occupied speaking gibberish, Agent kneed her in the gut. Beri let out a noise like a squeak toy. She lost the feeling in her legs and slowly collapsed while letting out a long groan like a deflated toy, falling into Agent's arms.

Beri was thrown to the side and landed on her hurt arm. She managed to sit up, but before she could turn back around, she froze. Maniacal laughter and screams of agony filled the air and rang in Beri's ears. She slowly turned, but was too hesitant to dedicate, fearing the worst to be seen if she looked.

After what felt like hours of listening to the most gruesome horror movie, there was a long dead silence. A silence louder than the bloodcurling screams moments before. Beri found the courage inside to see what happened, but before she could take even a small glance, Agent grabbed her arm and dragged her away.

"Weeee should probably get goin'," Agent said. "Yeah, quick. Hurry, hurry."

"W-wait, what about—"

The darkness inside the mall was overtaken by a bright orange light. A massive heatwave struck Beri and Agent from behind. The floor left their feet and all feelings were gone but the sensation of flying through the air before having the wind leave their bodies the moment they hit the earth.

**Part 16**

Beri sat alone on a bench in the middle of the dark mall building. She had woken up from being knocked out by the explosion Agent caused just moments before. It was too dark for her to venture off and find the exit to escape. For her own sake, it was probably not a good idea to run off. Agent did after all, order her to stay put. Who knows what she'd do if Beri decided not to comply.

Beri didn't feel much safer either way. What's going to happen to her once that girl comes back? She imagined the worst and her heartbeat went faster and faster as if it begged to jump out. An invisible force was putting a large amount of weight on her. She didn't realize how severely hunched over she was.

Soft bare footsteps hitting polished pavement headed towards her direction while accompanied by an upbeat humming. Beri's eyes darted towards the direction of where she last saw Takeshi and then to the direcdtion of the humming before looking straight into the empty darkness in front of her. Sick to the stomach, she decided to just wait for her time to come.

A cold air swept her nose and a soothing sweet and fresh scent gushed into her nostrils as she breathed.

"I forgot to ask what flavors y'like, so I just got whatever had nice colors together."

Beri looked up to see what smelled so refreshing, but her eyes were stabbed by quick flashes of bright light. She almost fell over and started seeing brightly-colored circles, popping in and out of thin air, with three of them being noticeable larger and stacked on top of each other.

"Here, here. This one's yours." Agent held a cone with three different flavored ice cream with bright colors, presented under a flashlight as if it was a gift from the heavens.

Agent pressed the top scoop against Beri's lips, startling her. A sharp, sour taste. Poison? Acid? …It was lime. _Of course it was._

Beri held the cone in her hands carefully without tilting it over. She took careful licks, accidentally getting some on her nose when Agent plopped onto the bench right next to her.

Beri's mind was racing. It felt like it was long ago since she's been in contact with anyone outside or seen her friends' faces. Fumio. Ichigo. That white-haired bitch of a collector. Whatever made her feel like she wasn't alone and back home. Yet, this girl next to her, this insane killer she met earlier ago is acting like they've been good friends for awhile.

What should she be doing in this situation, she thought. Her mind ran through different situations; how to escape, how to talk her way out, or perhaps somehow get the better of the girl in a fight. Each option, however, seemed to lead to her getting killed or worse. This is a living nightmare. She didn't notice that her ice cream mushed against her cheek.

"Are you havin' an anxiety attack or somethin'?"

Agent spoke directly in Beri's ear. Beri jumped away to safety, her ears ringing after feeling like they've been hit by a train, but she rammed her forehead against the metal arm rest. Dazed and teary-eyed, she looked up and rubbed her eyes, her vision clearing until she could barely see the outline of vague shapes of collapsed rubble and a toppled pillar in the distance. Memories of Takeshi and explosion came back. Surrounded by both sides, Beri whimpered and trembled.

Agent crawled on top of Beri, her bare front pressed against Beri's back. She wrapped her arms around Beri's waist and locked her wrists, pulling Beri into a tight hug as if she was a large plush toy.

"Y'really weird, y'know?" Agent blew into Beri's ear. "But, y'pretty damn cute."

Beri couldn't understand her actions. What was she trying to achieve? She's not going to complain about the hug, however. Despite the complete fear for her own life, it actually felt warm and comforting. She found herself leaning back into the hug and relishing in the solace of Agent's arms.

They stayed in that vulnerable position for a good minute until the cold ice cream melted and touched Beri's hand, waking her up. She turned a bright red when she pictured the position she found herself and Agent in at the moment. She broke the hold around her waist and escaped, hitting the floor with a loud thump. No time complaining about the pain, Beri kept a safe distance from Agent.

"W-What are you trying to do?"

"Hm? Y'looked scared, so I thought you'd like a hug. Did y'not like your ice cream? I knew I shouldn't have gotten mango mixed with chocolate and lime."

"That's not important!" Beri licked some of the ice cream that sat on her knuckles. "You… you… killed them…!"

Agent tilted her head as if she didn't know who Beri was referring to. Annoyed that she had to spell it out, Beri bit her lip and pointed at the general direction where both Judgment officers were killed by Agent's explosion.

Agent looked even more confused. "I didn't kill anyone over there." She pointed at the opposite direction. "It was over there where I killed Takeshi and that other chick. Did y'hit your head that hard?"

"Why are you so blunt about it!?" She gulped. How anyone can be so care-free like her was beyond Beri's imagination.

"Weeelll…" Agent placed a finger on her chin. "I hate him and…" She paused to think about it. "…so I killed him. Oh, and that chick was in the way. If she wasn't knocked out, she could have moved. Too bad."

Beri fell to her knees as her head started to hurt. Agent is just fucking with her at this point. What did she want from her? Is she really going to let this torture go on?

"I'm not gonna hurt you."

Beri's head snapped up. Is she still playing with her? It was hard to believe inflicting harm wasn't her intention from the beginning, but her voice sounded soft and sincere.

Agent held her hand out. Beri stared at it. Her eye twitched when her peripheral vision reminded her that that Agent has been practically naked this whole time.

Beri took a deep breath and held Agent's hand; she didn't have much choice.

"Who… who are you?" Beri said, pulling herself up. "He said you're some kind of agent?"

"What? No no, my _name_ is Agent. Agent… er, well, it doesn't matter. What _does_ matter is our date."

"Hold on, 'date'? You can't be serious. You haven't completely answered my question. Who the hell _are_ you?" Beri immediately slapped her hands over her mouth, holding her breath.

Agent puffed her cheeks. "Speakin' like that is rude, y'know. My name is Agent and that's all y'need to know. Oh, and don't worry about having to introduce yourself. Beri Lacoste, a deliciously cute Level Four Puppetmaster. Second year at Tokiwadai. And you have a pretty handsome older brother."

"Hey."

Agent drew shapes in the air with her finger thinking of more. "An obsessed meat eater, came from France to continue elementary school in Academy City, a boring wardrobe of only white lingerie, a stuffed toy collection of over fourteen hundred different entries, a hidden switch inside of you that you're just dying to flip—"

"OKAY, YOU STOP TALKING ABOUT MY BROTHER."

"This is more fun that I thought."

Beri held her head as she swayed back and forth trying to collect her thoughts. "I'm just gonna ignore all that last bit… because they're not true."

"Oh, they're not? I knew you were so much more interesting," Agent said, grabbing both of Beri's hands and holding them together. "I'm so glad I took you out on this date. C'mon, lets continue our fun. There's only a couple hours left until the emergency shutdown is lifted."

"W-wait, that's not what I meant!"

Agent kept pulling, but Beri planted both her feet firmly to the ground. It was a tug-o'-war where she was clearly losing the game of keeping her position — and her arms. Her feet slid against the floor as Agent pulled harder and harder. After one last jerk, Beri lost her balance and flew forward, catching herself by taking one large step, and the ice cream that she held fell and splattered all over the floor.

Beri stared at the accidental spill of her ice cream. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Beri hesitated, but she slowly looked up and saw the raging fire in Agent's eyes.

Agent squeezed Beri's wrist tightly that it felt as if it was going to be crushed. "Hey, _bitch_ ," she barked. "Let's. Go. NOW."

Tears welled in Beri's eyes as she held in her yelp from the pain, nodding in a jerking fashion as if her neck was jammed in fear.

**Part 17**

Death is a cruel mistress. And a materialistic bitch at that. One that favors sweets, anime DVDs, and a variety of video games; especially fighting games. Something about well-built women clad in revealing colorful outfits fighting musclebound studs was, for some reason, awfully appealing. Cute little merchandise here and there and playful attire that a young girl would have during house or tea parties with friends. If only she could lend a hand, but then again, this is probably what hell would be like.

It's somewhat fitting.

At least she has great taste in food.

_What the hell am I doing?_

While Agent hopped and skipped ahead, Beri lagged behind carrying multiple bags in each hand filled with clothes and various toys and merchandise and wearing a large sun hat and star-shaped glasses. She nibbled on a tempura between her lips.

"Honestly, this is exactly how it would turn out if I was with Fumio…"

Beri watched Agent's back carefully. Up till now, she had played along on this "date" she was forced to be on. Not that she was complaining; it was actually pretty fun. The food, the shopping, the games. It was as if she were still with her friends on a normal day out together. For what it's worth, it did take her mind off the fact that she's more likely than not going to die very soon by the very same hands that brought her here.

Nevertheless, she couldn't put it together. Why would Agent, an insane killer from who-knows-where, want to take her out on a "date"?

Beri shook her head every time the word "date" came up.

At the very least, Agent looked like she was having fun herself. Beri had to think of a way to keep her on her good side.

"So, uh… how… you know, how've you been doing lately?"

Beri tried to put up a smile, but the muscles on her face wouldn't agree. She wasn't completely sure on what to say, but perhaps getting to know more about her "date" would be worthwhile.

Agent looked over her shoulder. Beri yelped, slightly averting her gaze behind the star glasses.

"Y-yeah… like, what school do you go to? Oh, uh, what do you usually do to spend your day?"

"I really had a fun time with you today, Beri."

Beri mentally slapped herself, not being able to think of the most obvious way to start a conversation.

"Y'had fun, too, right?"

"O-Oh, yeeaah… I… had a lot of fun, actually. Without the whole…" Beri flailed her hands in front of her, mumbling her words so Agent wouldn't hear.

Agent smiled, "I'm glad." She winked and continued walking, stretching her arms in the air. "Looks like I still got it," she said, pounding her chest.

Beri dropped her shoulders. "W-what am I, some kind of—"

"Y'really are a special little thing, Beri. "A person can really change being around you."

Beri opened her mouth, but couldn't think of any words to respond.

"Seriously, it's been…" Agent squinted. "I… Shit. It's been a long time since I had this kind of fun, this type of outing. I mean, whatcha gonna do when ya livin' my life, right?"

Agent wrapped her arm around Beri's and lead her towards a nonfunctional advertisement screen. She pressed her palm against the cold glass, making swirls across the smooth surface as if it was made of water.

"In many ways, you and I are the on completely opposite side of the spectrum, but under all that there are some similarities between us. Perhaps, it was _fate_ that brought us here to see how both of us intertwine. I like ya, Beri. I really do."

"Oh, I, uh… _like_ you too…? It was… fun, to say the least." Beri laughed nervously. "But, ' _fate_ '? That's a bit… far-fetched. I mean, it's not like I wanted what happened so far to happen in the first place. I never asked for this. …N-no, I mean, I… I'm not saying I didn't like meeting you at all, I-I…"

"Little one, fate isn't all about what _you_ want to do. It is an endless chain of causation, whereby things just _are_. One event may happen because of the occurrence of another, or perhaps the existence of some _thin'_ or some _one_ is the foundation of the necessary existence of somethin' else. In oooother words, wouldn't life be just so _grand_ if y'could decide which of the infinite number of possible situations will happen to you at will?"

"I'd imagine that's something lots of people would love to have. Although, that would definitely take out the surprise in life."

Agent smirked and threw herself at Beri, wrapping her arms around Beri's shoulders. "So you're the kind of gal that likes takin' her chances by the ass, is that right?"

The only obstacle preventing physical contact between Beri and Agent's flash were the threads on Beri's school uniform. Beri's arms shook as they hovered around Agent's sides, but the large bags she grasped tightly in her hands prevented her from doing anything that would deem inappropriate; whether she wanted to or not.

Agent giggled and released Beri. She leaned against the advertisement screen and snapped her fingers. "How about this then? We can keep goin' out and havin' fun like the best o' friends, do whatever city girls do these days, and live our lives happily ever after."

"…That sounds… reasonable?" Beri's skin started to crawl, because she knew it was too good to be true. Too sudden after what she witnessed earlier. "But, what's the catch?"

"Of course," Agent's eyes sharpened. "I walked a mile in your shoes. Ya have to walk a mile in mine."

Beri looked down at her Tokiwadai school shoes and glanced over at Agent's bare feet.

Agent's cheeks grew larger in size as she held in a fit of laughter.

"Look look look," Agent shook her head, reaching for Beri's chin, staring into her eyes. "Isn't it unfair between friends if one is always followin' the other? I had fun playin' in your world today. How about ya play in mine? See which one ya like better. A little game with fate."

The strings started to slowly slip through Beri's fingers. She a took a step backwards and Agent followed, getting even closer, her face close enough that Beri could feel Agent's breath trying to barge through her lips.

Beri was forced to look into Agent's eyes. She could feel a certain fire coming out of them. The same intensity from back when Agent fought Takeshi. She only watched from afar then, but seeing it up close now was both alluring, yet could freeze the heart of a lion.

Air struggled to find its way into Beri's lungs, the remaining amount being used on silent whimpers through her teeth. Once she managed to inhale without choking, she blurted out the first thing that was on her mind.

"You're a monster…!"

Beri slapped both her hands on her mouth, immediately realizing her mistake.

Agent rolled her eyes and sighed in boredom. "Fate really is a fickle mistress after all."

Beri screamed and started to dashed away, kicking the bags their contents away, but before she could take even a single step, Agent grabbed her wrist, squeezing and twisting it, forcing Beri to yelp through her teeth and stop in her tracks.

"I really meant everythin', y'know? I do like ya and I really, _really_ wanted to be your friend. But, I guess ya just don't get it, do you? I guess it wasn't meant to be, but _damnit_ , fate has to reconsider its mistakes once in a damn while." She yanked Beri's arm and whispered in her ear. "I wonder if you'll still have that adorable little face after a few seconds under a high-powered electric grinder?"

Agent buried her knee in Beri's gut, slamming and pinning her against the advertisement screen.

"I'll give ya one more chance, little one." Agent pulled back her leg, giving Beri a chance to breath, but once she fell on her knees, Agent swung her leg and bashed Beri's head against the advertisement screen, bouncing off the hard glass multiple times until she finally limped to the side to dodge the last kick.

Beri twitched and shook. Somehow finding the strength to drag her arm across the floor, pulling her to any direction that would lead her to safety. The air stung the area of her head where her hair was damp and dripping.

She pulled herself one more time before being pulled and forced to sit up, trapped within Agent's arms and legs.

"I didn't want to hurt ya," Agent said, tangling Beri's soaked hair around her tongue. "Promise to be my personal little one, and I promise to take care of ya and provide everythin' you'll ever need."

Beri's lips moved, but she could only choke on the saliva trapped in her throat, too frozen in fear to even nod her head.

"Mmm… is that so? That actually makes me genuinely sad."

Agent grabbed the back of Beri's uniform and with a large step and a swing of her arms, threw Beri through a glass window.

Beri rolled across the shattered glass as she landed, cutting her skin through her uniform. Sounds of crunching glass pierced her ears. She pushed herself up, ignoring the pain of tiny shards digging into her palms and knees, and ran deeper into the dark shop.

Without taking the time to gauge what was in front of her, Beri kept running until she tripped and fell on top of a large, knee-high cushioned surface.

The footsteps behind her kept coming closer.

She climbed over it and kept running, but that only lasted a few steps before hitting her leg against something hard and landing on top of another soft surface.

"Oh my," Agent gushed like a little girl. "You chose the perfect bed for once we settle down. Wait, what about _that_ one? That one looks nice. Pretty wide, colorful, and, oh hey, cartoon characters. Isn't that cute? …Where ya goin'?"

Beri dragged her hurt leg and pulled her weight around by grabbing onto whatever she could get a hold of.

Agent shook her head, clicking her tongue. She pressed a button on her mechanical belt. Metal balls flew out of a small compartment and honed in and encircled Beri. They started to flash a red light and emitted a high ringing noise. The red lights flashed faster as the ringing became deafening.

The floor beneath her feet was replaced with air and gravity soon pulled her through, the flashing red lights illuminated the large, crumbling hole above her that seemed to shrink.

In just a second, the store and all other shops nearby were engulfed in a fiery explosion.

**Part 18**

Beri coughed as the dust and smoke slowly dissipated. She managed to escape the pile of fluff that broke her fall, but she didn't leave unscathed. Falling with the collapsed floor, her body was beaten around by the large portions of concrete. Bruises covered her body and her arm had been caught under a large piece of rubble.

Each movement she took sent jolts of pain all over her body, but she couldn't just rest at this time. Despite her legs feeling as if they'll break from any more pressure, her main priority was to get away.

Her body shook uncontrollably as she walked down a path surrounded by walls that seemed to close in on her, stretching from as far as the eye can see, or as far as her eyes could pierce the dark. She walked for as long as she could and there didn't seem to be an end. She wasn't going to make it, she thought.

Something caught her eye. A long, curly object dangled from a wide opening on the wall. It was soft. She pulled it and a much larger object connected to it fell from the shelf.

It was a stuffed monkey. Expecting a solid surface, she fell into a pile of plush as she tried to lean against the wall. Stuffed animals. Beri looked at her surroundings and realized the aisle she took was filled with limitless amounts of stuffed plush toys.

Beri picked up the stuffed monkey and hugged it as if it were the last and only thing on Earth left that could comfort her. "I… found it…"

Sounds of footsteps were heard getting louder and louder. Beri hugged the monkey harder, her shoulders nearly touched her ears as she ignored the menacing aura enveloped around her as if something heavy was pressed against her spine.

"Lucky lil' bitch." Agent picked a random animal off the shelves. She squeezed the toy and then shrugged, tossing it over her shoulder. "Maybe there is a god."

She clicked her tongue seeing Beri not moving an inch.

Agent kicked the back of Beri's head. "Hey, get up." She kicked her again.

She kept kicking, but Beri only scooted away a few inches, hugging the stuffed money with her life.

Those kicks became stomps, but Beri continued to cushion her chin on the soft plushie. Agent groaned and her stomps became lazy as if wiping dirt off the bottom of her foot with Beri's head.

"Do _somethin_ ," Agent whined. "I know you can, so hurry the hell up."

It was a jumbled mess inside Beri's skull. It ached and stung all over. She couldn't think without it being a static buzz in her head. She slowly turned to face Agent but as she panned her eyes over, another strike got her jaw. Her neck whiplashed and she flew back a meter.

"It's really fuckin' rude to be taking naps while someone is givin' up their valuable time givin' you first hand experience of what the world beneath the surface is like."

Agent picked Beri up by the collar so her feet barely touched the floor. "…Wait, are you actually nappin'?" She tossed Beri as if she were another toy with most of its stuffing missing and gone stale. The shelves rocked back and forth from the impact. The stuffed animals fell from their cubbies and rained on top of Beri, burying her under a mountain of plush toys.

Beri's breathing was getting hard and heavy. Fake fur obstructed the flow of air as she inhaled. She didn't want to move; she didn't want to leave the warm, soft plush hugging her whole body. She had already accepted this to be her fate and wanted to die with some peace of mind.

But the amount of stuffed toys did not completely block out the outside noise. Her comfort was violated by the familiar cackling.

_Just let it end, please._

Shuffled noises came from the surface of the pile. The weight on top of her became lighter and lighter until the last toy was removed, exposing only the upper half of her body.

Beri turned her head away, expecting nothing more but continuous beatings until the last ounce of consciousness.

"Please," Beri said in a high-pitched voice, nearly crying. "Don't hurt me… anymore… I don't know anything… I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt me…"

"Oh, Beri…"

It wasn't Agent's voice, but it was familiar.

"I didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to see you like this."

A soothing voice resonated in Beri's ear like a song from an angel. Beri was convinced it was once her cheeks felt the soft, cold touch of someone's fingertips caressing her cheeks, drying off her tears. Those hands guided her face and through the glisten of her tears, her eyes widen.

"Fu… mio…?"

Every part of her being was telling her it was a lie. She knew it was Agent in disguise, but something in her was telling her to just believe in it one time and her troubles would all go away for good. There was not one single flaw about the Fumio standing in front of her. Her creamy skin, the benevolent look in her eyes, and the most striking feature of all…

…the motherly smile that could light the dark brighter than the stars in the night and melt an ice cube faster than the raging flames of hell. Beri was in her own little haven with Fumio.

"Of course you didn't know anything, Fumio said, gently pulling the limp Beri into her arms.

"Fumio…"

"I don't want to hurt you." Fumio ran her fingers through what was still dry of Beri's hair. "But hurting you is the only way to get you to learn and to get what I want."

"W-what…?"

"And if killing you is the only way to accomplish that, then what choice is there?"

Fumio spat on Beri's face and smacked her. She spat on Beri a few more times and continued slapping her across the face until her face turned red.

After a slight pause, Beri stretched her arm out hoping to stop the assault knowing full well it was a hopeless endeavor. Fumio's foot came down like a guillotine, stomping on Beri's chest. Beri grabbed Fumio's ankle, trying to find the strength to push it off, but the pain of her collarbone on the verge of being crushed took her strength away with each growing pressure. All she could do was claw away at Fumio's skin, but even that had no effect.

Beri's face tightened. Peering through her eyelashes, she saw Fumio's face. Her once sweet, elegant face was now an inhuman distortion with a large grin reaching both sides of her cheeks.

Then her face slowly tangled and warped like a child squishing soft clay after submerging it into water until Agent's head appeared between Fumio's shoulders.

"What do you even do at that school anyway if you're so damn clueless?" Agent repeatedly stomped on Beri's chest. "Two years. Two damn years bitchin' around in a boiling pot and you're completely unaware of what's really goin' on? Are you that stupid? Especially when you share the same roof as the damn _Echelon._ Hell, aren't you, like, I dunno, _lovers_ with that walkin' waste of experimental meat?"

Beri didn't understand what she meant, or what Agent knew about Tokiwadai, or why she knew about her closest friend. As far as Beri knew, what happened today and everything done to her so far has nothing to do with her; she's been caught in the middle of something related to her school and Fumio.

And one of those factors gave Beri a different view on the situation at hand.

Beri bit her lip as she fought the fatigue of her eyes dimming, the near-darkness slowly turned pitched black. Agent kept stomping on her without mercy. However, before Beri became blind to the world, a twinkle of light flashed behind Agent.

"Y'really going to accept this, Beri? Disappointin' me, y'know. I'm _tryin'_ to help ya out here, but it's like you _want_ to die. C'mon, is Echelon really gonna have to dig a hole for her French fuck to—"

Beri grabbed the bottom of Agent's foot, completely halting its downward motion. It didn't register in Agent's brain before Beri swung her arm and tossed Agent aside like a wet noodle. Agent bounced against the floor before hitting the shelves at an angle that caused her to spin.

"Damn," Agent said as she chuckled to herself, pulling herself up. She scooped her arm inside a row within the shelves and tossed all the plushies she could reach for on the floor. "I was waiting for… for something' to happen, but that sure as hell wasn't what I was expectin'."

Beri stood, leaning against the opposite shelf for support. She held her chest, her breathing sound like the whining of a small animal.

"Finally goin' to entertain me?" Agent grinned then laughed maniacally, "is the 'Wheel of Fate' now turning~?"

Her ankle was sprained, but the pain didn't get to her; she was too busy fantasizing about what she'll do to Beri. As she threw a punch, Beri ducked under it and buried her fist in Agent's abdomen.

Agent didn't grunt or show any sign of pain from the blow. Instead, she laughed as if Beri simply touched her funny bone rather than hurt her.

Agent swung the back of her hand, knocking Beri against the shelf. She raised her knee to her chest and stomped on Beri's arm against the vertical edge of the metal bracket.

Beri's throat strained; her scream could have broke all the glass in the mall. She fell to the floor and flopped around, holding onto her arm, testing her flexibility as she tried to find whatever position she could put herself into to somehow lessen the pain.

"A puppetmaster that knows how to siphon from her tools, huh? Quite honestly, you're _much_ more interestin' than the bitch with the mannequins."

Agent towered over her, watching with intrigue as if she were watching the inner-workings of an ant farm, waiting for Beri to pull out the next interesting move.

Beri tripped over he legs as she tried to run. She pushed herself away, but Agent came closer and closer. She rolled backwards onto her shoulder and used her momentum to kip back up to her feet and jumped from shelf to shelf until she reached the very top. Beri looked back down at Agent and noticed a monkey in her hands with eyes that twinkled brightly. Panicking, she jumped off the top of the shelf onto the next, but at that very moment, the vigor left her legs as Agent tore the monkey's head off.

Unable to jump far enough to land on her feet, she hit ribs first against the edge and knocked the shelves down one after another like a line of dominoes.

"Fly, my little bird, fly~"

The nightmare won't end.

Tripping over stuffed toys and caught in metal barrings, bruising her own body trying to hold keep her balance while running across the fallen shelves like a dangerous rocky trail, Beri once again lost all hope. She couldn't fight back. She couldn't protect herself. She didn't know how it all ended up like this. She just wanted to be with her friends and go shopping at the mall, but now she's just delaying the inevitable by trying to survive against a monster.

The store's entrance was near, it was in her sights. But so was Agent who was following her without the slightest worry that Beri might escape. This was her game.

But this game still consisted of two players.

The metal shelves started to rumble while some sections broke apart. The many stuffed animals scattered all over the store, some on the floor from the collapsed shelves and some still sitting proudly on their displays, slowly rose to their feet, some lazily sat up, like a mass army of zombies rising from their graves in a horror movie, but instead of rotting carcasses, they were animals of many species of all shapes and sizes, colored in many different styles from realistic interpretations to sugary candy.

They all surrounded Agent as if ready to burn the witch and offer her body as a sacrificial offering to their empress.

Loud thumping caused the floor to shake.

A gigantic rabbit-like beast as tall as the store itself and as wide as the front of a truck stood over Agent. Its ears dropped at its sides made it look like capes. Large white orbs with a smaller black circle in the middle looked down as if mocking at the size difference between it and her.

The large beast of a toy tilted over at an agonizing speed like a tree as tall as the clouds slowly falling over after its base was chopped. It took forever, but it made anticipation all the much greater because you knew exactly what was about to happen.

Perhaps Agent couldn't tell from her position?

She stood still and watched. Bored and uninterested. The wonder of the world-worthy monster that towered over her, intimidating on its own, was nothing but a pause in the game for her.

The toy came crashing down. All other toys in the vicinity jumped out of the way, some were forced to jump due to the shock wave. The metal shelves were even flattened and crushed the pieces under the fluffed-filled beast.

Then there was silence.

After the silence was a low-pitched laughter coming from the beast. A laugh to signal victory, one would say.

As it laughed, it grew larger and larger, until it had swollen to the size larger that its threads were capable of withstanding.

Parts of the threads ripped and flames shot out. Then the whole mass of the giant rabbit disintegrated in a second while the ball of fire from inside expanded outward. The speed was as fast as an instant explosion.

Beri shielded her face with her arms, the heat coating her body as if she were inside an oven. The floor reflected the blazing swirls like an ocean of orange glow. Dark silhouettes of the stuffed animals withered away in the flames so tall, slowly melting the ceiling causing chunks of it to collapse. One area of the flames spread apart like curtains allowing Agent to walk through unscathed, ready to continue the game.

Beri fell to her knees. She was out of ideas. Even if she could think of another, even another hundred of ideas, it would all be futile. Allowing her emotions to change between hopeful victory and worthlessness would be detrimental to her health. It would be better to just stop now while still sane.

Agent tossed something at Beri. Beri didn't bother to flinch when it hit her face, but it was so soft it bounced off.

A stuffed tiger.

Agent grinned. She winked. It was permission.

Whether genuine or fabricated or just a bunch of irrelevant mixed feelings scrambling about in her head, a million reasons rained on top of her and a fire lit up inside Beri; the wick black from overuse.

Just one more.

An aura of swirling colors like an oil slick extended from Beri's fingertips about 5 inches.

For a split second, the world froze. High in a fury of blood and revenge. Streaks of blood splattered on Beri's face.

And through the crimson-tinted glasses, the same wide grin plastered on Agent's face and a gash on her arm so deep it cut through bone.

"Hey, whaddyaknow? Looks like we're even."

Beri deflated like a popped basketball. She lowered her head as if she knew what was coming next and stared at the floor, anticipating what's next.

With a blunt strike bashing the back of Beri's neck, her face slammed against the floor.

**Part 19**

Agent yanked a soft, plain shirt from its rack and wrapped it around her bloodied arm. "I don't need it, but I always like lookin' good during work. Free shirt. Man, I feel _so_ good right now. I am _ultra fuckin' happy_."

Then she remembered Beri laying motionless on the floor. Battered, bruised, bloodied.

"…Oh," she bit her lip, realizing her mistake. "Mm, well, she won't be dead for _too_ long. Probably."

To Agent's surprise, Beri was pretty light for a sack of meat, but she still had to resort to dragging her around by the leg. It wasn't because she was too weak, but because she was too lazy.

Agent stood in front of the toy store entrance. The mall was lit up a bright orange from the raging flames behind her.

She was surrounded by a company of Judgment officers. They blocked off Agent's path with an arc formation. Each officer proudly displayed their arm band, stretched from their upper arm. Behind them standing watch were two head captains of Judgment, Takeshi Yamanoue and Konori Mii.

Takeshi's voice echoed throughout the mall. "Agent, you are under arrest for treason, smug—"

"Save it for my obituary. It doesn't really matter what you label me as when we're going the same way in the end."

"Actually, we may very well see to it that your request gets fulfilled. I will send you off your way. Personally. Your actions have made you the most wanted criminal and most dangerous person in Academy City. Your punishment will not be lenient."

Konori grabs his arm and interrupts. "What are you saying? You're in no position to serve out punishments. That is Anti-Skill's responsibility. What _you're_ thinking about doing is treason and I will not stand by and—"

"Forward."

Konori snapped forward, putting all of her attention at Agent. Whatever qualms she had pertaining to Takeshi's behavior were thrown out the window.

Agent bit her lip, irritated by his use of his ability, forcing a hesitant officer to blindly follow orders. Konori stood as if she was ready to throw her life away as long as it was in a glorious battle. However, some officers did not share the same confidence. Fear was in their eyes. Their feet were positioned not for standing their ground or to charge in, but to run away if their life was in danger.

Agent unlatched her utility belt and it fell from her hips to the floor. She picked up Beri in her arms and limped back into the burning toy store. The flames did not reach them but large heat waves hit her back as explosions are heard from deeper inside the store.

"What are you doing?" Takeshi raised an eyebrow.

"It would be beneficial for both of us if you took me in peacefully rather than cause unnecessary bloodshed."

"That's a painful lie."

"You _tooootally_ deserved it."

The officers that were once shaken snapped into place, standing their ground with full resolute. The officers then walked forward toward Agent's belt on the ground, toward the burning toy store.

Blue sighed, looking up to the ceiling disappointed. She closed her eyes and said to herself, "Actually, I almost forgot that today is that special day."

One of the officers, a girl in a purple skirt, picked up the belt. As she inspected it, a small compartment on it opened and tiny metal balls flashing red lights flew out and hovered over their heads.

**Part 20**

Takeshi coughed as the dust in the air entered his lungs. Once it cleared, he lowered his arms and looked at the aftermath.

A wall of rubble and torn and burnt mattresses appeared where the Judgment officers stood in front of the Levenche toy store.

With the entrance blocked, Takeshi and Konori stood in the shroud of darkness of the mall, the silence louder than the foreboding aura broken by a low beeping sound at the other side of the rubble.

A small hole outlined by fire burned through the debris, slowly expanding as it disintegrated enough until a path opened up, revealing the toy store from behind and the fire to light up the darkness once again.

In the middle of the opening stood Agent, holding her belt in her hand as it dragged against the ground, her dark silhouette flickering in the light. Dark stains and puddles of liquid surrounded her.

She turned to the side, the light of the fire revealing a wide open grin on her face, and walked towards the remaining pile of rubble, each breath she let out a snicker.

She picked up a piece of rubble and threw it to the side. She kept digging until she stopped, letting out a louder laugh as she combed her hair with her fingers.

There was a sound of something being torn.

"Ohhh that view is fuckin' _hot_. Oh _yes_ , I _love_ that."

She picked up a large piece of fabric. From the light of the fire, it had a hint of purple hue to it. She flapped it in the air to clean it from dust before having it replace the wet shirt wrapped around her arm.

"You have such a cold look in your eyes, Takeshi." She limped closer. "And yet, you _fuuuuuck_ up."

Agent dropped her belt on the floor and kicked it towards Takeshi. "It got damaged from that last explosion. The rest in there are now duds." She gave Takeshi a playful look, sticking her tongue out between two fingers in a V. "That's okay. It's not like you can do anything anyway."

"We'll see," Takeshi said.

"Tch, I can always count on your voice to make me dry."

* * *

Agent sat against a boulder of rubble, her body bruised all over, limbs numb, and unable to move. Her chest pumping as much air as they can, her breath hard and heavy, her lips curled up into a smile as if permanently plastered on her face. Only able to move her head, she only looked up as if she could see through the rooftop and to the sky above. Her vision of the sky was then obstructed.

"You're so annoyin'," she said, "and pretty inconsistent. I mean, ya killed off like, what, ten or so juniors and yet ya can't kill a girl who, by the way, has already been injured and is unable to protect herself before the fight even started? How they chose ya as head puppet, I'll never know."

Takeshi stepped on her knee that was angled to the side, putting more pressure on it after feeling it crushed beneath his feet like a soda can.

Agent let out a noise that sounded like an outburst of pain, but quickly turned into a mocking laugh. "Now, now, don't mind me. I'm just in a drunken state of self-righteousness. You, however, look like someone blew smoke in your face while committing questionable acts to your sister."

A sharp dagger cut through the bone of her shoulder, her blood gushing down the side of her torso. As Takeshi pulled it out, blotches of blood splattered all over Agent's breasts. She smiled like a child opening a present for Christmas, confirming that the color red does make the body look infinitely sexier.

Takeshi spun the knife around his finger. "You still find the time to spout bullshit?"

"What's with that, Takiii~? Ya such an emotionless tool. Develop a character already—" She yelped, not due to pain, but to cough up the liquids coagulated in her throat. "I'm fuckin' _bored_."

Despite mocking Takeshi, she wasn't looking at him anymore. She looked off towards random directions, blinking, trying to keep her vision from going a blur, until she felt the muscles in her stomach loosen and free.

Agent raised an eyebrow. "You're weird. Do you have a fetish for c-sections?"

A shield was carved in the middle of Agent's stomach accompanied by four horizontal cuts that reached across her waist.

Agent couldn't help but burst out laughing, more blood expelling out of her threw the carved picture. "Oh man, oh man. For a second, I thought ya finally gone super hardcore that it was actually turnin' me on, but damn, the Judgment emblem? That's so stupid. Take off your hat."

Takeshi humored her and removed his Elite Head Officer cap, spinning it on his finger like a basketball. "What for?"

She grinned. "You were never ready to be my successor."

Takeshi clenched his teeth. He stomped on Agent's abdomen, squeezing out all the oxygen and blood left inside of her and forcing her to squeal, but those squeals turned into more laughter, making Takeshi stomp on Agent harder and harder. As he reached for the knife, a body flew past him, bouncing and rolling until it stopped, half-hidden in the darkness. Letting his eyes adjust, he realized it was Konori Mii.

He turned around, but before he could turn all the way, the side of his face made contact with a soft object, but the edges of it were sharp enough to cut his face. The sudden attack stunned Takeshi, making him step back and trip over Agent.

Agent stared up into what she could only assume was still the ceiling. She couldn't tell if the fire was somehow dying out or her vision was going black. A dark object flew past her eyes. Noises of grunting, feet squeaking against the floor, rubble breaking, and the fire crackling was all she could hear. The shadow of Takeshi was set onto the ceiling, dodging and punching what Agent could only describe as a jump-happy gnome midget.

Then she thought of another possibility.

"A—… nother… fucking… plush toy…?"

It felt like her neck was jammed into place, but she forcefully turned her head to the side. If she turned any more, her head might just fall off, but she managed to have sight of her belt laying on the floor near her.

She stretched her arm out and reached for it, her muscles reaching their maximum output of energy. The belt was near her grasp. After a long minute of trying to reach for the belt, she gave up, her arm dropped to her side.

Looking at the belt for a while longer, she rolled her eyes in annoyance, realizing she only imagined herself moving in her head.

White fluff flew into her field of vision and landed in the puddle of her blood, some on her.

A stuffed teddy bear fell from above as its white fluff spew out from various cuts on its body, its head barely hanging on to its round body. It landed on top of the belt.

Agent was used to the noise her belt made when activating it, but this time the same ringing noise cut through her heart and red lights could be seen flashing through the plushie's body. Agent's eyes widen for a quick second before reverting back to a bored stare as she watched the toy lay motionless. She turned her eyes towards the store in flames, a preview of what's to come next. However, something in the fire shined brighter than the smoldering crimson. Two golden orbs, shining brighter than the light she imagined would emit from angels.

Witnessing that magnificent sight was cut short, and her vision was completely engulfed in red.

**Part 21**

The light of the flames couldn't reach. Takeshi stood near the edge and looked down to what seemed like an endless abyss, staring into it longer than it looked deep. He thought of any possible ways to survive the blast, but unless saved by the hand of God, Agent was finally gone.

He took a step back from the edge and something cracked under his foot. Eyeglasses. He sighed as he picked it up. Near the glasses was a torn armband with Judgment's emblem. He held both in his hands and reflected on the events that happened. Thoughts ran through his head, questioning whether all of this was worth it.

"The fact that I'm still alive means that she wasn't lying in that e-mail."

Takeshi was killed by the explosion earlier after being stabbed multiple times by Agent. There was no other way to say it other than the fact that he was dead. He knew it was dead; there was no trick. What he failed to understand was how it was possible and why today, of all days, Death would be taking a vacation. Whatever Agent's goal was, he'll never find out, and if it turns out she was simply fucking around with a "reincarnation" experiment to prolong her fun, then perhaps there is a little regret in letting her die so soon.

And that the old man would be out of the job.

No point in thinking about it any further.

He threw them into the endless pit in respect for, for now at least, the dead. Just more numbers added to Agent's name. The _last_ numbers to be added to Agent's name.

Time to find a way out of the mall.

"Kuro…"

A weak, yet ominous voice came from behind.

"Ku…ro…"

Beri stood in front of the entrance of the engulfed toy store, bits and pieces of the walls and ceiling crumbling and falling around it.

Her eyes radiated a golden glow, lighting up her face to reveal dry scabs of blood crumbling from her face, the flames reflecting from her eyes as if within those large circles was a world engulfed by the wrath of an angel's fury.

Takeshi's body was about to reach its limit. His crooked posture kept him standing while preventing gravity from pushing him down.

He muttered, "Stand down."

Shadows waved behind the crackling flames. The flames opened and a line of stuffed animals walked through simultaneously like a well-trained and disciplined army. Stuffed animals both small and large synchronized their march. Their bodies were charred and many had fluff falling out of their stitchings. They stopped and stood side-by-side with Beri as their leader in front.

"The forms never said that those toys were fire-resistant," Takeshi said.

"…They're not…"

She may be standing, but her body was still weak and tattered. She could hardly lift her legs, he toes sliding against the floor as she stepped forward. The stuffed animals followed her.

"What happened… to Kuro…?"

Takeshi figured she was referring to the stuffed bear that attacked him earlier. He stepped back towards the edge before a couple of loose tiles fell.

"Kuro… Lacoste, Judgment will take responsibility for any damages and belongings you have lost. If you want, we can buy you a new Kuro."

Beri stopped in her tracks. After a moment of silence, the army of stuffed animals collapsed into lifeless objects as they once were. The glow in her eyes faded until her eyes were dull and empty. She dropped to her knees and fell forward as if whatever kept her functioning suddenly decided to stop.

As she hit the floor, the store started to shake, the ceiling above crumbled and large chunks nearly missed Takeshi who had lost his balanced and fell over the edge. He grabbed on, but section he held on to broke off and he fell into the depths below. He watched as the illumination from the fire getting smaller.

**Part 22**

Anti-Skill officers were holding back a mass of spectators. They managed to force the steel emergency doors open and swarms of armed officers infiltrated the entrance to the mall.

Yomikawa Aiho stood near the entrance with a young Judgment officer-in-training.

"Good job contacting Anti-Skill. It's disconcerting that no one has notified us much sooner. We could have moved out much sooner than we did."

In contrast to Yomikawa's carefree nature, the younger officer kept a solemn stern composure, her voice imitating one with authority.

"All that matters is that you came before any civilians were injured. All shoppers inside the mall were evacuated safely before the shut down. Speaking for all of Judgment, I deeply apologize for this was Judgment's responsibility, but we—"

Yomikawa petted her head. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Besides, everything is under control. Just leave the rest to Anti-Skill."

A number of Judgment officers were escorted out of the building by a couple of Anti-Skill officers. Many of the Judgment officers stumbled awkwardly. Some were holding their heads as they looked at their surroundings. While they were trying to figure out what was going on, the spectators watching from outside starting cheering wildly.

"Oh my gosh," the young officer said in disbelief. She examined each officer carefully and noticed not a hint of injuries or marks.

She ran past the older officers, ignoring the shouts from Anti-Skill prohibiting her from entering the mall. Reaching the very center of the mall where the area opens up to see the upper floors, one side was completely devastated and all the floors up to the third have collapsed like the side of a mountain.

She couldn't imagined what happened that could cause this.

A large block of rubble near the base of the collapse wiggled. The young officer head towards it as fast as she can while taking careful steps to traverse the awkward terrain and climb the mountain of destruction.

She grabbed the boulder that was larger than her own size and used all her strength to move it to the side. With the help of a force behind it, the boulder budged and rolled to the side, crashing down the hill.

From where the rubble sat, Takeshi Yamanoue emerged from the opening.

"N-no way," the young officer said. "It's… It's…" Realizing who she was present with, she locked her arms and legs together and bowed.

Takeshi shook particles of cement off his hat and brushed the particles of dust from his jacket. Adjusting his hat, he noticed an elementary school student standing in his way, bowing nearly ninety degrees. Her posture was poor, back bent and shaking. He rolled his eyes and pushed her out of the way.

"Takeshi," a female voice called out from behind. "Don't you dare treat her like that."

Konori Mii stepped out of the same hole Takeshi went out of, holding onto whatever she can grab without it breaking. "Been waiting for me?" She said as if it was a normal day as always.

"Konori, you're ali— ah!" The young officer tried to climb up to Konori's side, but stepped on a loose gravel. Takeshi grabbed her arm before she fell and pulled her up to his side. He kept a hold of her, but she winced in pain due to his tight grip stopping the blood flow.

He twisted her arm and saw the familiar green armband around her upper arm.

"So you're her apprentice," Takeshi said, loosening his grip. "Kuroko Shirai, correct? Teleporter?"

Kuroko's eyes widen, mouth agape. "I… Y-yes, sir. How did you know my name?"

"You think I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't know the names of everyone in Academy City?"

"I-I didn't mean to disparage your ability or position or…" She shut her eyes and bowed her head to hide her face. "I just…"

Takeshi placed his hand on her head and slowly pulled her head back, making sure their eyes met. "I don't remember calling for any reinforcements. Was it you that brought those officers through the emergency shut down?"

Kuroko tried to nod, but Takeshi pulled her hair and forced her head still.

Konori raised her voice. "Hey, she didn't cause any more trouble than there already were. I don't exactly remember what happened… but in any case, there was just no way Judgment could handle this on their own. Look at this mess."

"I'm talking about you, too," Takeshi said. "I don't remember giving you authorization to patrol around my mall."

"Are you kidding? After all this _that's_ what's bothering you? This area may be out of my jurisdiction, but in case of an emergency, Judgment—"

"Enough."

Kuroko punched Takeshi in the gut. Despite her fist sunken in his abdomen, the strike did not affect him.

Kuroko looked down, hiding her face. "I'm sorry." She was willing to take responsibility for her own mistakes. She didn't want anyone else, especially her mentor, to take the blame.

Takeshi sighed. "Act like a Judgment officer." He grabbed her shoulder and faced her forward, smacking her hard to straighten her back, paralyzing her for a moment.

He walked down the mountainside of debris. "Let's go, Konori."

Konori carefully stepped down reaching Kuroko's level and patted her head. "Nice first impression. Looks like he's interested in you. C'mon, kiddo."

"Konori, what actually happened here?"

"I'm not sure _what_ caused all of this, but it's not hard to guess _who_ had a hand in it. Hey, chin up. You've done a good job bringing in the reinforcements and he may not show it, but he definitely appreciates your support. But he's right about one thing: a young officer like you shouldn't be a part of this."

Takeshi waited for them at the bottom. As they reached him, he called out into the shadows ahead. "And who allowed you to enter?"

"It honestly looks better this way," Hikari said in a bored tone.

Yuria hid from behind, clutching onto Hikari's uniform. "Sis, we shouldn't be here."

"Why not? That lady didn't stop us, so there's nothing to worry about."

"No, I mean, Fumio looks really scary…"

Kuroko stepped forward. "This place isn't safe. Leave now before—" Takeshi pulled her behind him.

"I can only guess what you're doing here," Takeshi said. "That's Tokiwadai's uniform…"

Fumio kept silent.

"It's going to be like that? Well, there's no helping it, I guess."

"You're so bad at talking to girls," a voice called from above.

Takeshi looked behind him towards the top of the mountain of debris and saw a large boulder growing in size at high speed. He grabbed Kuroko and jumped out of the way; Koroni went the other direction.

After the dust cleared, there was a playful giggle and a hum of a sweet melody and a girl jumped from rubble to rubble, descending elegantly as if the air guided her. She reached the bottom and bowed as if waiting for an encore.

"Fuckmyway~" she said as she pushed Takeshi who was already out of her way.

Fumio's eyes dipped inward as she now stood in front of her best friend, Beri Lacoste.

"Really now, Echelon, you greedy bitch." Beri sighed. She whispered as she walked past Fumio. "Thank you. I actually mean it. You really wanted to help, but you obviously didn't. I can't ignore the fact that you _triiiied_ , but…"

Beri licked her lips.

"…fate is being rewritten, and you can't do anything but sit back and watch."

She continued walking and bumped shoulders with Hikari.

"Hey, what was that for?" Hikari grabbed Beri's arm.

Beri swatted her away. "Sorry, but I don't talk to _fakes,_ " she said, continuing on towards the exit.

"…'fakes'?"

The voice of an Anti-Skill officer was heard from the floor above. "She doesn't want to comply. What should we do? Should we get Yomikawa over here?"

Fumio dropped her bags and dashed towards the nearest escalator. Busted and inoperable, she climbed the fleet of stairs while Hikari and Yuri lagged behind as they tried to catch up.

Once Fumio reached the next floor she head towards where she heard the Anti-Skill officer; towards the toy store.

There stood a couple of armed officers surrounding a blonde girl on her knees. Tears dripped from her face. Many shredded pieces of various colors scattered across the floor, but she only bothered to pick up the brown pieces along with white balls of fluff. She positioned them on the floor as if putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

"Kuro… Kuro…" she whimpered.

"Beri…"

"Hey, you three, what do you think you're doing here? Get out before we— take your time."

The officers left them alone and walked away with a dull, expressionless look on their face.

Hikari looked down to the first floor and saw Takeshi waving the back of his hand to her as he walked away.

"Geez, really? We're not worth a proper goodbye or anything?"

Once their presence was completely gone, Fumio sat down on her knees and lifted Beri's chin so she could see her face.

"Beri…"

"You… You know how to fix Kuro, right? Fumio, please help Kuro…"

Fumio bit her lip, her eyes downcasted as if trying to apologize. It only made more tears well from Beri's eyes.

Beri looked behind Fumio and saw Hikari only taking small glances at her, trying not to watch the shame Beri was displaying.

She lunged forward, but Fumio caught her, holding her back.

"You know how to fix stuffed animals," Beri moaned, reaching her arm out, begging. "Please, I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I'll do anything if you could only fix Kuro. _Please, please_."

But, Hikari turned away. Even if she knew how to stitch a stuffed toy back together, Kuro was beyond saving now.

Beri's arm dropped as if life was taken from it. Her whole body felt as if all life in her had left. "Fumio… I can't… Fumio…?"

Fumio hugged her tighter and tighter until Beri fell into only tears and whimpers.

"I know what will make you feel better," Fumio said.

"…You already know—"

"Let's visit Noel tomorrow, okay?"


	4. French Like French Toast

Part 23

Academy City is on the forefront of technology and science; far ahead in human timeline than the rest of the world. Naturally, those outside Academy City stuck in the slower pace flock towards the city to catch a glimpse of what their or their children's life would be like in the near future. District 3 provides views, entertainment, luxury, and full accommodation to tourists.

Fumio and Hikari walked side by side, however, they were not here looking for tours.

"Thanks for letting us come with you," Hikari said.

Fumio's face glowered as she smiled. "It's no problem at all."

Already used to Fumio's smile, Hikari casually averted her eyes away just in case.

"You two are our friends and we had a lot of fun at the mall together, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Hikari nodded. "It really was fun. Although… What about Lacoste?"

"She's having a hard time. Beri spent all night trying to perform 'surgery' on Kuro."

"'Surgery'?"

"She could complete a ten thousand, no, hundred thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle of a blank white canvas in a single night if she wanted to. Of course, it's not cutout cardboard pieces she's dealing with."

"…That sucks." Hikari scratched the back of her neck. "I guess even as a collector, that chick does keep certain ones pretty close. I assume that is one of them?"

Beri sat with her legs hanging off the side on the back of a large lion. She held a plastic bag filled with tape, brown fur, and stuffing. Yuria was fascinated by the tail swinging behind the lion. As it swung to one side, she tried to catch it before it swung to the next, like a cat trying to catch the circle from a flashlight.

The scene was mind-boggling to those who weren't used to seeing the inside of Academy City and its inhabitants; more specifically: espers. The surrounding tourists murmured and took pictures of the beasts as if they were some kind of act. It had a true-to-life design of a real lion, but it was obviously an over-sized stuffed toy if one took the time to get a closer look without the fear of being mauled. It looked like any other lion in the wild, so those on the same walkway took their chances and moved out of the girls' way.

Beri looked back at Fumio and Hikari who were lagging behind. "Let's go you two. We don't have all day."

"Easy for you to say," Hikari said, tossing her fist. "You didn't have to use your own feet all the way from the garden."

"My Kuro," Beri said in a melodramatic tone. "My cute little plushie… my adorable stuffed teddy bear—"

"Shut up."

"—is in critical condition and all you're going to do is complain? In case you haven't noticed, this is an emergency. Do you have no heart? As a fellow collector, I now think less of you."

"This is ridiculous…!"

"It's okay, sis." Yuria finally caught the lion's tail and stroked it, petting the furry bulb on the end. "You're the same way when one of your special toys are damaged. If a single strand of fur is longer than the others, you go crazy."

"Sh-shut up…"

"Besides," she giggled, "you're just as excited to seeing her brother, right?"

"Y-Yuria! Don't…!" Hikari frantically ran and grabbed Yuria's shoulders, pushing her to the ground.

Beri tilted her head. "It's just my brother." What was so special about it?

Yuria gasped for air after she moved Hikari's arms away from her face. "Yeah, yeah, but if you're going to his house for him to repair Kuro, then that means he's very well-skilled in the craft, right?"

"Yuria, I'm about to break your neck!"

"Even if he were, I'm not sure if that means anything. What are you trying to say?"

Yuria slipped her hand between her neck and Hikari's arm, sliding under and freeing herself from the stranglehold. She went up to Beri and hugged her like an excited child reuniting with an old friend. "It means what it obviously means. You're brother is a natural, pureblooded, thoroughbred Frenchman!"

For Hikari, it felt as if time came to a complete stop. Every inch of her skin turned to a deep, burning red. She tried to reach for Yuria's neck in a single instant, but her brain was unable to properly operate the motor functions in her legs.

Fumio simply said in confusion, "I'm not sure if you know what 'thoroughbred' means."

Beri hopped off, leaving the plastic bag on the lion's back. Her arms shook violently as she grabbed onto both of Yuria's shoulders. She forced a crooked smile trying to hold the rage inside her. "W-w-w-w-what does that have to do with anything? I'm French, too, ya know."

"Yeah," Yuria hopped gleefully, ignorant to the fact that her life was about to end. "But, how long have you lived in Academy City?"

"Um…"

"France is the land of beauty, dreams, culture, and romance. You've probably gotten too used to our simple Japanese culture, but we imagined your brother to be the very embodiment of manliness, sophistication, elegance, cosmopolitan, allure, and savoir faire."

Beri just looked at her, eye-twitching, dumbfounded at her view of France and her people.

"Dafuckisdat?" Beri spouted out in English without thinking about it.

"Speaking in French doesn't make you any more French than you are now."

"That wasn't even French," Beri yelled in actual French.

Beri glanced over to Fumio who simply smiled and nodded. There was no hope getting any help from Hikari who seemed to be stuck in a hyperbolic state of mortification and distress.

Yuria's mouth was wide open, stars sparkled in her eyes. It was almost scary.

Is that what they believe France is genuinely like…?

"I'm really sorry you two, but whatever fantasies you have of France is nothing but total shi—"

A large screen behind a window display turned on. The screen showed a tall, slender woman in a black fur longcoat, her long, heavy, and wavy hair that could clearly beat even Fumio's in a contest was embraced by a much larger hand of an even taller man in a formal vest and fedora. They exchanged words that made Beri blush and her press her legs together. The other girls couldn't understand the language spoken, but the two sisters continued to watch, their hearts fluttering.

Beri shook Yuria back and forth, trying to snap her out of the delusion. "Are you serious? You're basing your views on France off of that?"

Beri kept shaking her until the roar of a truck drove by. On the side of the truck was a large screen displaying various European models wearing the newest line of spring and summer clothing from Louis Vuitton.

Fumio refrained Hikari from chasing after the truck. She giggled as she said cheekily, "As expected of the French to be at the forefront of the fashion industry."

"You're not helping, you bitch!"

Yuria was too deep in her fantasies to be affected by Beri's shaking. Her eyes were stuck on the truck until it disappeared behind Beri's head. Drool dripped from Yuria's mouth as she looked up and down Beri's figure.

"Beriii… Are you gonna show us you wearing those type of clothes?"

"Snap out of it, damnit. It's only an advertisement." Beri raised her right fist, clenching it tightly as she prepared to punch the delusion out of her.

Then someone shouted from behind something in Beri's native tongue.

A much taller boy — Beri was only up to his chest — waved at her. "Hey, Beri, hanging out with your friends today?"

Beri released her grip on Yuria, dropping her like a bag. "Oh, hey, bro."

"Bro!?" Hikari and Yuria rushed to get a closer look.

"Oh, you two aren't from Tokiwadai?" He adjusted the thin, beige scarf around his neck.

"I'm glad that my little sister is making friends and not shutting herself in her room."

"To hell with you."

The two sisters weren't paying any attention to their bickering. They were too busy gorging themselves in the euphoria of being only a breath away from touching an actual French person, melting away from the warmth radiating from him in the cold spring day. Their eyes attracted to a single point of on his face.

"I wasn't aware that Beri's older brother had a smile-ability just like Fumio," Hikari said.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not an Esper. Unlike her, I was born with this."

Fumio flicked her fingers through her hair. "That's mean of you to say, Noel. I remember that time you said I was beautiful." She giggled, but while it may have sounded playful, it had an effect of ripping the hearts out of everyone in ear shot of it.

"It was only after the fact." He stared at Fumio with an animalistic gaze.

Fumio accepted the challenge.

It was more than just a stand-off. Hikari and Yuria looked back and forth between the two as if they were taking turns striking each other with their most powerful attacks. They were using their own auras as weapons. Not a single movement on their part. Yet it felt like the most gruesome war happening on earth.

Noel's focus was disrupting by a snapping noise.

"Yo, bro," Beri said, snapping her fingers in front of his face. "Am I… not good enough…?"

Noel lowered himself to one knee and unwrapped a certain length of his scarf and placed it around Beri's shoulders, his thumb pressed against tears as soon as they fell from her eyes. "What kind of question is that?"

Her thin waist was taken whole by the length of his arm and with the help of the scarf, held securely against his own. His hand slowly rubbing against her back until reaching her shoulder blades which he then caressed.

"It's okay, little sis. I love you with all my heart. Fumio may have the perfect figure, but I am willing to throw her away for you."

Hikari and Yuria held each other's hands, their faces completely red, taken aback by the sudden act of sibling complex happening in front of them. It was something they thought would only happen in cliche anime. It was difficult to decide whether this should be considered a revelation of society in the real world, or a dream come true.

Hikari coughed into her fist. "Er, wow. I didn't expect the French to take their culture of love and romance this far. I've underestimated you, Lacoste."

Beri shook her head.

"No, no, it's not that, it's just…"

She pointed at the two sisters as if issuing an attacking command.

"These damn bitches say I'm not French enough!"

Part 24

The elevator door opened.

Noel walked out of the elevator. In one hand, he dangled a stuffed lion by its tail; in the other, he held Beri by the back of her uniform collar.

"You're in Japan now. Welcome home." Noel tossed Beri and her stuffed lion further into the hallway. She bounced and slid across the polished wooden floor.

"Uuu… You didn't have to be so rough."

Noel opened one of the doors in the hallway. "By the way, there's leftover takoyaki in the fridge. Take as much as you want. I also expect you to share some with your friends since you were so rude to them."

Beri stuck her tongue out after the door closed behind him.

She looked up to see Fumio, Hikari, and Yuria standing over her.

Yuria giggled as she offered a hand. "You must have had a lot of fun here."

Hikari walked past them and headed towards the larger living room area. "Wow, you can see the whole city from up here," she said, crossing her arms, looking through the large window that made up the whole side of the wall.

Yuria jumped over and landed onto the cushions of the large squared U-shaped cough. "Uwah~ It's like being on top of a cloud." She bounced around, claiming every spot of the couch as property for her bottom.

Hikari walked over and leaned against the counter separating the living and the kitchen. "This place is like a more luxurious version of a traditional Japanese home. The tourists have it good."

"Yeah, I guess so," Beri said as she entered the kitchen from the other side. "That's pretty much why my brother prefers to stay in District 3 rather than attending school and being force to move into a dorm."

"Your brother doesn't go to school?"

"I mean, it's not like he has to go to school." Beri scavenged through the fridge. "He's finished with his education since he was, like, ten or something. I guess he thinks going for a Doctorate wouldn't give him anything of value that he doesn't already have. Here, you want takoyaki?"

Beri held out a stick of takoyaki, but Hikari just stared back in disbelief.

"D-Doctorate?"

"No, he gave up going for a Doctorate."

"Stop saying it so casually!"

Beri placed a hand on her hip and waved the takoyaki around. "If you're not going to eat, then I'll take all of it for myself."

She brought the takoyaki to her mouth. Just when she was about to take a bite, she froze. Seeing the sharp end of the stick up close, she remembered what happened back at the mall the previous day. Bodies. Fire. Blood. Agent's face flashed before her eyes multiple times before Hikari snapped her fingers in front of her face.

"Don't die on me," Hikari said in a bored tone.

Die.

Beri's hand shook. The juices of the takoyaki splattered all over her uniform.

"I… I'm not hungry anymore." She returned the meat back into the fridge.

Beri took a deep breath, staring into the fridge lost in thought. Images of the mall incident wouldn't stop flashing before her eyes like small glimpses akin to the rings that continuously appear after dropping a stone in water. The frequency followed the same rhythmic pattern as the beating in her chest. No matter what Beri tried to think of to remove the nightmarish thoughts, whether it was her friends, her brother, or food, it wouldn't stop and her eyes and head ached with growing paranoia.

She shouldn't be here right now. She shouldn't be alive. She was supposed to be buried under rock and cement. Flattened. Dismembered. Scattered into separate pieces. She ran through all the possible endings and couldn't think of how she got through it all.

Her contemplating was interrupted by a large object waving at her face and a ringing noise that soon became audible words.

Hikari waved her hand in front of Beri's face. "Uh, Lacoste? What are you staring at?"

Beri turned away and leaned back against the counter. She stared up into the ceiling.

"Nothing, nothing."

Hikari shrugged. Bored, she placed her shoulder on the counter and tilted her head to rest on her knuckles, looking off at the distance.

"I hate you, you know."

"Don't think the feeling isn't mutual."

"Expected." Hikari brought up her fingers and counted. "First of all, you're a bitch. You're also ignorant. Fumio goes to Tokiwadai, but unlike you, she doesn't act like some spoiled princess."

"Yeah, yeah, keep making your naughty list."

"You destroyed half of the mall, ran many stores out of business, and that toy store that all of us were excited to go to was totally demolished."

A jolt ran up Beri's spine. It wasn't exactly her fault, she told herself, but there wasn't really much of a counter-argument.

"I caught the news this morning, and while most of the stores are temporarily closing their stores — well, not until they rebuild their store — there's one that's never going to come back. Yep. That toy store thought Academy City was totally unfit for running a business. It's pretty bad PR for the city and officials are trying their damnest to revert that. And I'm not sure how Fumio did it, but whatever she told the officials and reporters got them off our backs. You'd probably be stuck inside a dark room with a bright light over your head answering degrading questions. They probably would have came after Yuria and me just because we're friends. We're thankful; you should be too—"

"I'm sorry."

Hikari looked at the corner of her eye and saw Beri's sullen face for a couple seconds. Her expression was real. She expected some indirect or sarcastic remark with at least an underlying apology with it, but it surprised her that Beri said those words off the bat. Did she go a bit too far?

She turned away after realizing how long she had been staring.

"It's fine." Hikari shot her eyes around the room before looking back at Beri. "What about you?"

Beri inhaled and exhaled a large amount of air. There was a distressed look on her face as if she was about to lose her mind, but she held her emotions in and spoke calmly. The fact that someone was interested on how she felt made her feel a little relieved which surprised her the most.

"I'm fine. Yeah, I'm fine."

She scratched the counter top made out of marble.

"We can leave right after we get Kuro."

"You're in a hurry."

"I know." Beri took a deep breath as she looked towards the hallway, her foot tapping against the other to prevent making too much noise.

Still resting her cheek on her knuckles, Hikari extending her pinky and chewed on it while inspecting Beri's behavior. She assumed something was bothering her, but she decided it wasn't her business to intervene more than she currently is.

"You behave pretty well compared to lots of other people who were in similar situations. I guess that hard head of yours is useful after all. I wasn't in there so I have no idea what happened or what you did, but shouldn't you be insane now or something? That would be quite the show."

The corner of Beri's lip curled up for a split second.

"It was the scariest moment in my life."

She opened the fridge door without any reason in mind, but the cold air brushing against her skin helped soothe her. Yet the soothing breeze was not as effective as being near another person, so she upon closing the door, she headed back to Hikari as if being away any longer would have caused her to snap.

"But as long as Kuro is all right, I'll be happy even without limbs."

Hikari gave her an awkward look that said, "you're joking, right?"

"What, there's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Her eyes moved left and right embarrassingly. "He's the closest friend I have."

"I guess I can understand if it's Fumio, but Kuro…"

"He's family. That's all there is to it. I'm not sure how else I can explain it to you. You'd feel the same way about Yuria, too."

Those words made Hikari froze and it was her turn to stare at the counter with sullen eyes. The silence was broken by the giddy noises Yuria was making as she checked out the large flat screen TV flanked by multiple transparent cabinets filled with DVDs and game consoles.

Hikari turned the opposite direction, hiding her gaze with the side of her hair.

"Mhm." A tone with a hint of regret and a loss of interest.

"Hey, um…"

At this point, Hikari wanted the conversation to stop. She looked through the gaps between the strands of hair and said in a disinterested tone, "What's up?"

"Thank you. For tagging along and all." Beri laughed to mask the awkwardness.

Hikari shrugged. "It's no big deal. Like Fumio said, we're friends now. And sure…" She sucked up air as if the next few words are gonna take all her strength to say. "…I was a little worried."

It took a bit for Beri to take that in. Before today, they both refused to acknowledge each other as friends, but perhaps that was their way of accepting each other's friendship. At the end of the day, Hikari did see Beri as a friend. Beri didn't see a problem with how they expressed their feelings towards one another as long as it meant it was because they were finally friends.

And all it really took was a near-death experience.

A near-death experience that gave Beri the opportunity to realize the value of those around her.

She looked over to Yuria who was peeking over the couch, only her head visible, playfully waving left and right while Beri's lion plushie hung on for its life.

Beri let out a chuckle between her index and thumb before she lost it.

Yeah, these friends were definitely worth keeping.

"Job's done." Hikari held out her open hand. "Pay up."

"Saywhatnow?"

"Fumio gave us the job to cheer you up and get your mind off your troubles."

"But sis, cheering up Beri was your idea. Didn't you want Beri to owe you a—"

"Yuria, shut up. Well, what will it be, Lacoste? As contractors, you are the sole company employer that must provide our pay."

Beri's eye twitched. "You keeping going with that and I'm going to mess up your face."

"You can mess up my face all you want. It won't be as bad as your desperate, tear-stained face. 'Ohh, I'll do anything you want~'"

This… fucking…!

Beri imagined the whore in front of her with her neck snapped in half. She had almost talked herself into actually accepting her as a worthy friend, but there was nothing else in existence that made Beri want to see the world run red as much as she did. How long does she have to put up with this? Technically, Beri does own this house, and if anything, she did have the right to throw Hikari to the curb.

In fact, that was the perfect plan.

Thoughts of the most inhumane violent acts from French-style executions to Roman-style torture to BDSM ran through her head. A menacing grin slowly grew on her face.

She was snapped out of her fantasies by a finger tapping her forehead.

"Just one," Hikari said as she held up a finger.

"…What?"

"I know you've been through a lot already, and I'm not sure what's going through your mind right now, but if you really want me to forget about that scene, I ask for one thing and one thing only. One of your stuffed animals."

Wait, that's it?

This is the end game that Hikari worked for. To befriend Beri in order to achieve a "friendship present" in the form of one of her stuffed animals.

Naturally, Beri would have been pissed off for being used, but she had a large collection of stuffed animals. If she were to lose a hundred of them, she'd probably not notice — or care. It couldn't be that simple, could it? Is she that unimaginative that she thought taking away one stuffed toy would break her? Or was there something else underneath?

Beri narrowed her eyes, inspecting every particle on Hikari's face in order to find out what she's playing. Hikari's lips were tightly shut, but they quivered. Her eyes were pointing at a different direction as if they couldn't bare to look at Beri. It annoyed her, but it looked as if she was trying to withstand the aftershock of asking a really important question that would change her life forever.

Beri looked at her with caution. "I don't mind."

"…Really?"

Hikari's face slowly morphed to extreme happiness like a light bulb that started off dull before growing as bright as the heavens. As if she weren't in control of her own body, Hikari couldn't helped but jump as soon as she heard an approval and pulled her fist in victory.

Part 25

"This is it," Beri said as she opened the door and walked inside, Hikari and Yuria following right behind. "Go ahead and pick out one you like."

Yuria gushed at the amount of stuffed animals that occupied the room. Many sat on shelves, sat against the walls, piled in the corners, and even more taking over the bed decorated with transparent sheets as if for a princess. The overall size of the room was impressive as well.

"It's almost as big as the living room." Hikari looked around as if she were in a museum rather than someone else's room.

It definitely was a room fit for a spoiled princess.

"You can't get any of these in Japan," she said. "It's impressive, but I expected a lot more from all that smack you said yesterday."

"Sorry if your panties got wet from all the hype, but I'm gonna have to burst your bubble there." Beri pushed Hikari out of the way with her shoulder and headed towards the closet. "The rest of my collection is back in Paris."

Hikari clicked her tongue, letting it go just this once.

Yuria picked up the living lion plushie and jumped into the pile of other stuffed animals on the bed. "Is your whole collection just from France?"

"All but Kuro," Beri said as she shed off her soiled Tokiwadai uniform. She pointed at the lion Yuria held in her arms. "That one right there is Fleur."

Hikari crossed her arms. "Why only Kuro? There's not even a single Gekota."

"Bleh." Beri reacted as if she ate something disgusting. "Dunno. I guess I just don't want to completely replace my collection with Japanese ones. I don't have much interest in the toys here anyway, but my brother gave me Kuro as a present. My first and only plushie from Japan. Hmm… I wonder how they're doing back home?"

Beri stuck her arms and hard through a yellow shirt she had picked out, but before she pulled it over the rest of her body, she noticed Hikari staring at her. Beri wasn't getting any eye contact.

"What are you staring at?"

"…I guess that's one thing you can't brag about."

"I'm going to kick your sweet little ass."

"I'd like to see you try."

While Beri and Hikari were having their quarrel, Yuria played with Fleur. She held onto Fleur's tiny paws as it danced on her lap. She then looked around at all the other stuffed animals in the room, sitting lifeless as dolls normally would.

Yuria picked up a chinchilla plushie with a long, bushy tail. "How come only Kuro and Fleur are the only ones that move?"

Hikari had Beri in a headlock.

"Let go of me," Beri shouted. "I haven't even finished putting on my clothes."

Beri slid her hand under Hikari's skirt and grabbed a handful of her butt, digging her fingernails into the soft flesh.

Hikari screamed, shaking and twisting her body while Beri hung on to her prize despite the risk of breaking her neck due to Hikari's flailing. With one good swing, Beri was sent flying towards her bed. The plushies that sat undisturbed flew in different directions as she landed on top.

"Sorry," she said as she pushed herself from the pile. "Here." She poked the nose of the little chinchilla. It started to twitch and then soon after moved freely like an actual chinchilla.

"Uwaaah~ It's adorabaaaaal~"

Hikari picked up another from the floor and it quickly jumped out of her grasp and landed on the bed. "Hmph. So, you're able to give 'life' to any stuffed toy?"

"That's right," Beri said proudly as she stood on top of the bed.

The stuffed animals that sat dormant all started to move. Big and small, many got on top of the bed and many more stood on the floor, surrounding Hikari. Some stayed comfortably on their shelves like an audience.

It looked like preparations for a sacrificial ritual, Hikari thought. Perhaps she overstepped her boundaries.

Stars were in Beri's eyes and she spoked in a resonating voice, like a proud leader, an empress. "With royal French blood running through y veins, I am the very sun that give your life light. The greatest Puppetmaster in all of Academy City and the Empress of Tokiwadai I am the one and only…" She pointed to the sky and all the plushies mimicked her pose. "…Beri Lacoste. Puppet-Oui!"

In Beri's mind was the roaring cheers of peasants and loyal servants.

In reality, the only noise was the deathly ring of silence.

Hikari stared deadpan at Beri while Yuria simply tilted her head.

"Did you say… Pup… petry…?"

Yuria giggled. "Nice try, but adding '-oui' at the end of a word doesn't make you any more French."

"You'll be the first to die on the guillotine."

"Yeah, yeah," Hikari waved Beri's threat away. "Anyway, could you please get down from there and finish dressing already?"

Part 26

After putting on some pink running shorts, Beri held her hand out to Hikari.

Hikari raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Weren't you holding Kuro's bag?"

Yuria raised her hand. "I think Fumio had him when we entered."

The sound of a door opening came from down the hallway. Beri, Hikari, and Yuria stuck their heads out the doorway of Beri's room. Fleur lazily plopped on Yuria's head.

"Don't slip," Noel said.

"Thanks," Fumio said as she stepped out his room and twirled, "but if you're that worried about me slipping, you should probably look up a number for thorough house cleaning."

"The idea is revolting to you?"

Fumio wiggled her fingers. "I feel like I gotta wash my hands."

"Fumio has a much more mature aura than usual," Yuria said.

"Lacoste, is that how she normally acts or— hey!"

Before she knew it, Beri was already heading towards them. "Fumio, do you still have Kuro?"

Fumio hesitantly bit her lip and diagonally shook her head. Beri followed the direction where Fumio's forehead pointed at and saw Noel cross his arms like a teacher after catching their students vandalizing a class.

She didn't think much of it.

"Did you fix him?"

Noel shook his head in disappointment. "You know that's not important right now."

"What do you mean? Kuro needs to be operated on A-S-A-P."

"Hold on, don't think I don't know what happened yesterday."

Beri rolled her eyes and groan. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure everyone knows what happened yesterday. It's pretty hard not to when everyone keeps bringing it up every five minutes. Just tell me how long it'll take for you to fix Kuro and then I'll be on my way."

"Don't be stupid. Do you understand how devastated I was when I first heard the reports? There's no way I wouldn't let the rest of the world live in peace if my little sister had died."

"Yeah, well, here I am. I didn't come here for your sake, big brother. I came here to get Kuro repaired. Just tell me—"

Noel grabbed Beri's shoulders with both hands. He looked at her eye-to-eye in hopes that Beri would come to her sense.

Beri opened her mouth to order him to back off, but the look in Noel's eyes had a feeling of regret that he refused to put into words.

She trembled. Noel held her, but it did nothing to calm her down. She knew what he was trying to convey, but she continued to be ignorant. She still had hope.

Sobbing noises filled the room.

Beri grabbed Noel's shirt, making sure that her fingernails graze his skin through the threads, and shoved him away. Without Noel holding onto her shoulders, she almost stumbled over before she placed her hand against the wall.

"Think about how your friends would feel if something horrible would have happened to you. Understand that there's only one of you and many more of your stuffed toys."

"And you need to understand that Kuro is the only family I have left!"

As she bawled, Beri flexed her hand and a transparent aura manifested from her fingers like claws.

She swung her arm like a heavy flail.

Her arm stopped in mid air.

Hikari had hooked her arm around Beri's. She didn't realize the five inch claws extended from Beri's fingertips. To her, she thought Beri was simply about to punch him.

"What are you doing? Let go!"

"I should be asking you that. What makes you think hitting your own brother is going to solve anything?"

"Shut up! He's not…!"

As Beri changed his focus to Noel, a sudden jolt made her head jerk downward. It was like a weight of a hundred pounds pushing down on her head, but no one was forcing her. It was only her eyes refusing to accept Noel's face within the field of view.

It was the growing fear, regret, due to the realization of her words and actions that, if she was fortunate enough, would have her be executed as punishment.

Hikari noticed the change in the atmosphere. She held onto Beri's arm to stop her from hurting Noel, but now it was as if she tried to hide behind her.

Noel's height wasn't that much different from an average adult's, but as he stepped towards them, Hikari felt as if she was being dwarfed.

Wrinkles appeared on the bridge of Noel's nose.

"Beri."

Beri dropped to her knees — almost pulling Hikari down with her — and covered her head. "I-I'm sorry, big bro. I'm— I'm sorry."

Beri was shaking frantically; her bones could burst from her body.

Without looking, Beri could feel the weight of Noel's arm being raised, and she could do nothing but lower her head near the floor, her forearms trying to protect the back of her head and neck.

She braced herself…

"We'll talk about it later." Noel extended her arm, pointing towards her room's door.

It was impossible to hide her tears and sobs no matter how hard she tried. Like a captive discovering the door to guaranteed freedom, Beri shot towards her room and slammed the door behind her, forcing Yuria out from her hiding place.

Part 27

Fumio and Hikari relaxed on the U-shaped sofa, eating macarons and drinking tea. Yuria, however, was busy testing every inch of the sofa with her butt to find the perfect spot that felt closest to a cloud.

Hikari took a sip of her cup and sat it on the table in the middle.

"I'm surprised Lacoste knows how to bake sweets and yet still prefers to pig herself out."

Fumio nodded and said, "Noel prefers pastries. You can eat them slowly and lose yourself in the flavor long after you've finished eating. It truly is bliss."

Hikari tossed the last piece of her macaron in her mouth without even trying to savor the taste. After washing it down with tea, she stared at the small plate that glistened when shone under the light. The luxurious-looking plate wasn't what caught her eye, but the fact that it maintained its sharp appearance. No crumbs; no evidence of it being used. If anything, Hikari thought it had to do with Beri's baking skills.

It was definitely at a level of a someone who belonged to some kind of guild for baking.

White frills entered the corner of her eye and she shifted her attention to it like being caught by a magnet. Those frills led to a short black skirt, and that skirt was covered by a small white apron.

Beri wore a maid outfit that would get her immediately expelled from Academy City's maid training school.

"Would you like some more?"

Hikari blinked a few times, but the maid in front of her was real. She declined the offer and waved Beri away.

After Beri picked up the plate and empty cup, she bowed and headed towards the kitchen area. Hikari was still distracted by the raunchy maid outfit that her eyes was still glued onto Beri when she turned. Hikari got the full view of Beri's backside. Even though Beri still wore her clothes underneath, seeing the completely opened backside of the maid outfit made Hikari's eye twitch.

"Is it really just the pastries?" she mumbled to herself.

Something nudged her from the side.

Yuria snickered and nudged her again. "Beri looks really cute in a maid outfit, right, sis?"

"Shut up, stupid."

Fumio sipped her cup even after drinking all its contents, causing a loud slurping noise to attract the sisters' attention.

"About Beri, you don't have to worry. It's a normal thing between them."

Hikari shrugged. She put her arms behind her head and slouched on the sofa. "It's none of my business," she said as she stared at the ceiling.

Even though her focus was at the ceiling, she could still feel Fumio's glowing smile trying to force its way to captivate her.

A few minutes ago, Noel had just finished having a private talk with Beri after her dramatic outburst in the hallway. No one was sure what was said between them in private, especially since Fumio urged Hikari and Yuria to stay seated in the living room. Whatever Noel said must have been quite effective, because Beri came bursting out of her room wearing her maid outfit eager to entertain the guests.

The words Noel had used to reconfigure Beri's personality like this, Hikari will never know, but no human can go through a drastic change without an outside substance.

Most importantly…

Why Beri even owned a maid outfit, she was completely stumped.

"But I get it. Noel actually is an esper, isn't he? He's one of those mental-based ones, right? This might actually be fun."

Hikari stretched her arms and leaned side to side.

"So, how long does it last?"

"I'm surprised someone with your potential would end up with that conclusion."

"…What?"

"Noel isn't an esper." She pointed towards the remote sitting on the table. "Would you two like to watch some tv?"

Hikari didn't move because she wanted to hear more about what Fumio knows about Noel. Yuria hesitated, but the tense feeling in the air tempted her to pick up the remote and turn on the tv.

The television clicked and an ongoing news report appeared on screen.

Reporters were going over the same information everyone in Academy City should know by now. They were showing people crying as if it was the greatest tragedy to have ever happen on the grounds of Academy City.

Hikari doubted whether the reactions of those people were genuine or not. It may have completely devastated the mall's monthly bill, but at least no one bit the dust.

According to the report, due to the standing of High Officer Takeshi Yamanoue, Anti-Skill had to follow his order and not enter the mall. Moments before a large explosion occurred and forced Anti-Skill to take action, a company of Judgment officers raided the building. Those same Judgment officers, including Takeshi Yamanoue, were taken out of the collapsed building with no damages whatsoever.

Hikari was indifferent about the whole situation.

At least there weren't any casualties.

Although, she didn't much care about the safety of those Judgment officers.

The only new information was a missing scientist who was last seen in the mall on the day of the explosion.

Probably unrelated, she thought.

Hikari flipped through the channels to see nothing interesting was on. The television clicked as the screen shut off.

"But something else has been on my mind—"

"Is Beri going to be okay from now on?" Yuria's interruption made Hikari choke on her saliva.

"Beri will be all right, don't worry."

"Huu… Beri looks cute and all, but she was really scary, wasn't she, sis?"

Hikari shrugged.

"Sis," Yuria pouted. "She might look healthy now, but what if deep down she's troubled? She just survived an attack on the mall by some insane killer."

"It may have been a frightening experience, but hey, no one died." She put a leg over the other as she leaned against the arm rest. "Give her time and she'll be back to normal."

Fumio giggled. "I'm glad the both of you care so much about Beri. As long as you two are around, I won't have to worry when I'm not by her side."

She clicked her tongue realizing her cup had been empty.

"I know that she's a handful, but I truly get a heart attack whenever Beri gets into these kinds of trouble. Noel and I just want to keep her safe, and personally, I'll do whatever it takes to keep the world she wants to live in intact. You understand, don't you?"

The two sisters weren't sure what to say; the air had a feeling of someone making a confession to a priest. Hikari and Yuria glanced at each other to think about Fumio's words.

"Promise me one thing, you two. Please, don't mention Kuro or the attack to Beri." She paused for a moment. "Ever."

The amount of emphasis on the last word made Hikari narrow her eyes. Fumio smiled as usual while Hikari's vision stabbed her like swords.

Her focus broke when Yuria grabbed her arm.

"Sis, I don't want to imagine Beri going through all that again."

Hikari was too tired to use her ability to nod and simply dropped her head and brought it back up as she sighed. Even agreeing to "protect" Beri gave her neck pain.

"Oh, and sis…"

Yuria stayed silent.

Hikari tilted her head. "'Sup?"

Instead of giving Hikari a response, Yuria simply stood from her seat. The moment she got up, Hikari was tackled from behind. Whatever large force that attacked her from behind was now on top of her, burying her in the couch.

"Sooo?" Beri held Hikari in a hug equivalent to a suffocating vice grip of death. "Did ya two like my services?"

"L-Lacoste! Get- get the hell off of me!"

Hikari tried to shook her off to no avail until she sacrificed herself by rolling off the couch and taking Beri with her.

"Ow, that hurt!" Beri got up and dusted off her maid outfit. "Well? Didya' didya'?

"Would you calm down just for a moment? …And where did you get that outfit anyway?"

"Do you like it?" She spun around. "Ain't it cuuuute~?"

"…Please don't twirl in it. What's up with you, seriously?"

"What do you mean?"

"Sis, hold on…" Yuria grabbed Hikari's uniform in case things get out of hand.

"Lacoste, don't you fuck with me. How can—"

Fumio shot up from her seat.

Hikari couldn't see Fumio in her field of vision, but she could feel Fumio's gaze piercing her. She gulped.

"Lacoste, you…"

"Yes?"

"…You're too flat to be wearing that maid uniform."

"…"

A deafening silence filled the room.

Everyone was frozen as if time had stop, all eyes on Hikari as she pointed accusingly at Beri.

"…"

The moment was so tense that one's heart could overload and burst open from even the tiniest shock.

Yuria dove past Hikari and blocked Beri from letting her tear Hikari to shreds. However, no matter how much of the inner brick wall Yuria tried to find inside herself, Beri was a bulldozer and bit by bit, Yuria was being overpowered as her socks slid against the polished floors.

"You. Damn. BITCH." Beri growled like an enraged demon wife who caught her partner cheating. "After all I fucking did for you, all because you were a guest. I will kill you."

"Ohoho~ Insecure, are we?"

"Fuck you, you skank. You're Japanese. You were born to be a loli."

"Oh, yes yes, but that's genetics, you see. You, on the other hand, pulled the shortest stick."

Yuria was starting to suffocate as she was squished between the two.

"I'm being crushed by two washboards!"

Part 28

Yuria was caught in the middle of a shootout between Beri and Hikari. It was similar to being stuffed inside a small barrel and pushed down a steep cliff, rolling and bouncing against he ridged edges, ricocheting around within the limited space.

That's what it was like while being trapped within the girls' fist fight.

The fighting had gone out of hand and to prevent the possibility of being evicted, Noel separated the two and, while appreciating their visit, showed them the way out the door. To be precise, he kicked them to the curb.

Yuria was in a daze, but she managed to straighten herself out and went to use the washroom to spruce herself up before leaving.

Noel closed the door before Fumio could head out.

"Interesting friends," he said.

"They're nice. Just so you know, it's good to make new friends once in awhile. You should try that some time instead of—"

Fumio was thrown against the wall, her head ricocheting back knocking her out for a split second. As her vision returned, she jerked and squirmed the moment she realized the passageway for oxygen closed off and the sides of her throat were caught in a vice grip.

Holding her against he wall, Noel's face almost touched Fumio's.

"I overheard what you said earlier. 'Whatever it takes', you say?"

Her lungs were burning. She clawed and dug her nails into Noel's hand, trying to loosen the grip and find any amount of air to breathe before she passes out. She lost even more air after opening her mouth but couldn't find the words or the strength to speak.

"What did you do when Beri lost control? Tend to your own selfish cunt? You could have preventing all of what happened at the mall, but you just let everything play out. Don't you know what would happen if the Concert detected any changes? Why did you let Beri go off on her own?"

Unable to answer, Fumio shook her head gasping for air. Noel pulled her away from the wall just to slam her against it again.

"I'm tired." Noel smacked her with his other hand. "I'm tired of having to mess with my sister's head just to keep her safe all the damn time. Her brain is probably nothing but complete mush by now and yet this stupid inbred would rather protect the pocket between her legs. Don't you understand what will happen if the Concert gets their hands on Beri? Do you? If Beri gets taken away from me — if BERI gets taken away from ME — I will lose it, and I wouldn't mind taking it all out on worthless meat like you."

Noel kept speaking in a menacing, yet subtle tone, despite the possibility that Fumio might not be able to comprehend his words in her state. She twitched, trying to keep her consciousness.

"Understand this: it doesn't matter what happens to you. As long as Beri is safe, everything will be okay. You got that? Or should I go the extra mile and do myself a favor and make sure everything goes accordingly? You and I both know that I'll take it as far as I have to. Tell me, Fumio. Do you understand? Do you—"

A sound of a doorknob opening was heard. One of the doors in the hallway creaked open and Yuria's head poked through the crack.

"Um, is something the matter? There was a loud thud."

Noel had his arm around Fumio's shoulder while she held up two fingers in a V-shape. Wide smiles on their faces showing affection like an enamored couple.

"S'all good," Noel said.

"We just wanted to make sure you didn't get lost on the way down. Come, you're sister is probably getting impatient."

Part 29

Beri and Hikari were waiting outside of the apartment building. They were leaning against opposite sides of a fully grown Fleur.

Even Fleur sighed from exhaustion from being in the middle of the heated tension between the two.

They didn't speak or even look at each other ever since they got outside. They pretended the other did not exist.

Hikari tapped her foot and looked up at the tall building and gauged which floor Noel's room was on. It shouldn't take so long to wash up and head down to the lobby. She was getting impatient and she started wondering what else Yuria could be doing. Those thoughts then shifted to what Noel could be doing. She turned red at the fact that she embarrassed herself in front of him, got into a fight with his sister, and was kicked out by him.

She tapped her foot faster and faster.

Then she realized Fumio was still up there.

Hikari bit her lip and quickly placed her palm over her eye, almost knocking herself out in the process.

She envisioned Noel's apartment room in her head.

She said to herself, "should I take a small look?"

After a moment of contemplation, she shook her head.

"No, no. That would be invasion of privacy."

The butterflies in her stomach mixed with the ongoing boredom was drawing her mad. She groaned almost obnoxiously.

She played with the small ribbons holding up her small twin-tails. She combed her wavy hair with her fingers and let it flutter. The same way she saw Fumio do it.

As she did it, she noticed the back of Beri's head at an angle. She assumed that Beri was falling asleep.

The silence was killing her.

"I'm sorry," Hikari muttered. It was at a volume that Hikari hoped it was enough for Beri to hear, but at the same time, hoped she didn't hear at all.

The latter had likely came true. There was only silence and no movement even after Fleur waved her tail to blow a gush of wind at her.

"I'm sorry for calling you 'flat'," Hikari said a bit louder.

Nothing.

She sighed silently to herself and focused back on herself, staring at the ground.

Then a voice grabbed her attention as if it had physically lifted her chin up and turned her around.

"Did you really like my macarons?"

Hikari nodded in hesitation. "They were pretty good, actually. Fumio said you used to make them for your brother?"

"Did she say that?" Beri chuckled lightly. "Damnit."

Feeling the mood lightening up, Hikari slowly made her way around Fleur. Beri had her back turned away as she combed Fleur's mane.

"You have my permission," Beri said.

"Permission for what?"

"To date my brother, of course."

Hikari released a noise that sounded like an amalgamation of an alien choke, cough, and burp. She slapped her hands over her head as her face flushed.

"W-what? You mean I needed permission? And what, what makes you think I actually wanted to date your brother?"

"I don't really care what he does," Beri said, ignorant to Hikari's protest. "I don't keep up with what he does anymore."

"Aren't you two close?"

"What, just because we're siblings? We don't act like siblings just because we are. If anything, it's cause we're supposed to, right? Isn't that how it works?"

Beri stretched her arms and let out a moan of relief.

"Anyway, I'm not surprised a — what they call it, a 'commoner'? One like you would fall for my brother, but I'll be rootin' for ya. I'll be damned if my brother actually goes out with you. I can't see it. And, wait… if it does happen, then that means we're practically sisters… Okay, wait, you're revoked of permissions to date my brother. Go find someone else—"

"Wow, you are so petty. If I knew you weren't going to give me one of your plush toys, I would have punched you in the face a long time ago."

Beri puffed her cheeks and rolled her eyes to the side. "Uh, what? Why would I give you one of my plush toys?"

"What do you mean? You said you'd—"

"Yeah, no, I don't know where you heard from who said what, but I'm not gonna help your starved collection by giving you one of my own."

Waving her finger while talking like a pompous, selfish princess, Beri went on and on using every word in the dictionary to insult Hikari as a collector and pitiful liar.

What she was saying fell on deaf ears.

Hikari's eye twitched with the cadence of Beri's berating. Her chest started to swell as something inside shattered and shook at the same tempo. She gritted her teeth as she prevent her lungs from leaping out and exploding, blocking out all the insults thrown at her. She pulled her arm back and shot it forward.

A loud thump was heard along with a sound of air escaping Beri's chest.

Silence Hikari hoped for finally came and Beri froze from the shock.

Hikari panted heavily; it felt like moments after being free from restraints after being forced to take a beating. However, her self-victory didn't last long.

Through the hair that hung over Beri's face, eyes with killer intent could be seen through the strands. Hikari gulped and stepped back a bit. She readied herself to either block or run away. She followed the length of Beri's arm and saw the palm of her hand face upward, fingers flexing as if squeezing something in the air that was large and squishy.

It took Hikari a few seconds to realize it. Her face turned completely red.

"Don't you dare."

"You're ass is mine.

Part 30

Beri chased Hikari around Fleur. They ran in circles over a hundred times before the automatic glass doors separated grabbing their attention.

"Sorry I took so long," Yuria said as she ran out before the doors opened all the way. She hugged Yuria, taking away Beri's opportunity to launch her special attack.

Fumio was the next to come out. "Is everyone ready?"

"I guess so," Beri said. "What's that, Noel?"

Noel followed Fumio from behind while holding a plain box. "It's a gift for my little sis."

"Oh, wow, you really shouldn't have."

"Take it as an apology for being too harsh on you earlier. You're my little sis after all, and I'll always love you."

He held out the box. Beri grabbed the box. They smiled at each other as if on queue.

It was like watching an awkward play by less talented actors.

Hikari kept what Beri said about her relationship with Noel in mind, and she could now see clearly the facade they were putting on. When together, they were like two completely different people in a role they could not fit.

Beri tossed the lid away and thin straps of paper and white popcorn balls flew out as she dug her hand inside. She dropped the box, pulling out a limp-frog shaped object with colors that seem to transition from a bright orange or a burnt reddish-brown on various areas on its surface.

Yuria's eyes filled with stars and her voice became high-pitched like a mouse on ecstasy. "That's a limited edition Autumn Burst Gekotaaa~ They made only twenty of them for last year's Ichihanaransai's online Gekota hunting contest. Unfortunately, they couldn't give any of them away during the festival due to a little kid tampering with the servers with her esper ability. I don't know how you're brother got his hands on one, but you now have one of, if not the rarest Gekota in the whole collector series— what are you doing!?"

Beri had gotten bored of Yuria's long-winded explanation and chewed on the legs of the orange Gekota while making grunting noises like a dog.

"You can't eat that," Hikari tried to shake Beri out of it.

"Frogs can't be toys; that's too weird. Frogs can only be food."

Noel laughed. "I know you've never owned a Japanese brand toy before, so I thought, 'what would be better than the most popular mascot in Academy City?'"

Beri stared down at the orange burnt frog as it hung from her mouth. It swung in the air as she turned towards Fumio who was waiting to leave.

She mumbled to herself. "Thanks… bro."

After everyone gave their goodbyes, the girls left towards the direction they came from earlier that day.

Fumio felt a certain presence missing from the group. As she looked over her shoulder, her eyes widen.

Hikari stayed behind, her eyes, casual, but cautious, locked with Noel. He leaned against the glass pane of the entrance.

"Hikari, was it? Don't be shocked. Your little sister told me."

"What did you mean when you said she never owned a Japanese toy before?"

Noel's eyebrows jumped. Her question put out so much weight that he leaned back against the glass pane hard enough that it might break through any moment, but he kept his composure enough for Hikari not to notice.

"Kuro is Japanese-made. That's what she said. She also said that Kuro was given to her by you. So, what gives?"

"It was a simple flub of the tongue and a slight gap in my memory. It's been so long since and, I don't want to sound too harsh, insignificant back then. Actually, I'm surprised Beri even talked to you about that time. All this time I was sure she shared the same feelings."

"I don't think there's anything more important to her than that bear. I wouldn't doubt she would remember the first day she got it."

He sighed internally, shoulders dropped as he moved his eyes away from Hikari and looked at the ground, noticing a slight fracture between the gaps of the smoothed cement tiles that decorated the ground in front of the building.

"And if she truly remembers something like that, then more of a reason why I beg to you not to mention Kuro to her ever again. At the very least, not until after a certain amount of time. I don't want her to get emotional. I assure you, I'll have Kuro repaired as soon as possible."

"I understand the reasoning behind it, but to act like what happened never happened, or to pretend a certain part of her never existed… In any case, do you know when you'll have Kuro repaired?"

"To be honest, I don't. Why?"

She swung back and forth. "Well… I'm a toy collector as well, so…"

Before Hikari could continue, Fumio's face entered from the side of Hikari's field-of-view with her signature smile. It was now by instinct that Hikari attempted to quickly turn away from her, but the air to her smile was different. A black aura surrounded her, the smile that once warmed the heart of those around her was now tainted by a menacing, killing intent to the first victim to refuse her lips.

Fumio grabbed Hikari between her neck and shoulder. The amount of pain on that pressure point caused Hikari's body to twist in uncomfortable positions and freeze up. Fumio then dragged her across the ground towards Yuria and the growing impatient Beri.

Noel chuckled at the scene and waved goodbye.

Once they were further out, Noel walked back inside and thought to himself.

"So those are the eyes of an Utsuwa. It's going to be difficult to keep her in check while she has those."

Part 31

It was a repeat of earlier in the day.

Beri rode on the back of Fleur while the rest trailed behind. It was mostly silent on their way back to District 7.

Hikari spent most of the the way so far lost in thought until her legs reminded her what pain felt after walking for so long.

She groaned as the muscles in her legs stiffen and her walk became erratic. This hurts so bad.

She pulled out her cell and looked through the gallery containing all the pictures she took of the stuffed animals that occupied Beri's room. She bore her eyes into each photo, leaving a lasting imprint of all the toys in her mind. The species, color, fur, threads, even the gentle reflection of light from the beady eyes. She made sure to take in every single, tiniest detail.

Her steps became stomps. It only made her groan even more knowing that she may never own one of them, let alone see them again in person.

"Sis, are you tired?" Yuria tugged on Hikari's sleeve.

"Nn, I'll be fine. I just—"

She was interrupted by a sudden gasp of excitement from Fumio.

"Beri, look, there's a flower shop. I'm going to buy something for Ichigo. I'll see you back at the dorm, okay?"

Fumio waved as she ran off towards a small shop decorated with a variety of exotic flowers and hanging plants. It was squeezed between taller buildings that looked more in tune with Academy City's image of a futuristic city. A burst of mixed scents came swooping out from the shop's entrance as she ran in, the scent spreading throughout the air and reached across the street for the girls to detect it. The disorder of many scents maintained a sense of balance and tranquility, causing Hikari to exhale a large amount and clear her head from clouds and pain.

After walking for a while longer, Beri maintained her lead.

Far enough for her to hear, Hikari spoke to Yuria. "Didn't you find Lacoste just a little out of character today?"

"What do you mean? Sis, you've only became friends with her yesterday."

"But don't you think it's just a tiny bit weird? You know, say, the maid outfit and all?"

"Sis, you're a pervert."

"Hyah!?"

Beri turned to look back when she heard the sudden outburst. Yuria happily waved her arm in the air, signaling for Beri to wait up, while Hikari choked and coughed into her fist.

Beri raised an eyebrow but shook her head in dismissal.

"We're almost at the Garden. Should I follow you home or should we split up once we get there?"

"Come visit us," Yuria said, catching up to Beri and Fleur. "And then next time we'll visit Tokiwadai. What do you think, sis?"

Hikari shrugged. "Lacoste doesn't want to waste her time on us."

"I don't mind," Beri said. "I just have to head back to our dorm and unlock it for Fumio, just in case. Hm, I wonder if Ichigo is good at making up excuses to the supervisor. Curfew and all."

They ended up at the park and grabbed a couple of drinks at a nearby soda machine.

Beri chugged her can in mere seconds. "Refreshing," she said after a long sigh of satisfaction. "A long day of walking back and forth can sure put a strain on your muscles."

Hikari's eye twitched, but instead of calling her out on it, her eyes were set on the newest addition to Beri's collection; the sunburnt-colored Gekota. Gekota toys are everywhere in Academy City and it wasn't the fact that Beri is now the new owner of a limited edition Gekota, but Hikari isn't going home with a "plus" to hers. Knowing this made her skull want to explode from the back in jealousy.

Especially since it's near the day she should expect something — although she's already used to expecting the opposite. Beri may have forgotten, but Hikari wouldn't.

And she wasn't going to have her get away with it.

Hikari looked around, no one in sight other than Beri, Yuria, and a few distant passerby's.

"So," Hikari wiped the sweat off her forehead with the cold soda can, "how's it like being the owner of one of the rarest Gekotas ever? That frog just shot you up towards the top echelon of toy collectors. I'm jealous."

"You are?" Beri looked down at the frog she had locked around her arm as she reached for another can from the machine. "I don't really feel all that special. Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I like it." Hikari sighed. "I wish I could go home with a new friend to play with."

Yuria said, "Isn't that why we're inviting Beri to our place?"

"What, shut up."

"Then," Beri held out the frog, "do you want it?"

"W-what? Just like that? So easy?"

"I never asked for one and I don't have much need for it. But, you really want one, right? Here, take it as a 'thank you' for hanging out and stuff."

"Y-you can't—… Serious? Whoa, but, it's a gift from your brother. You can't just give it away like that."

It's also not one of Beri's toys she was aiming for anyway.

"It's a gift from my brother. Wouldn't that make you want it even more?"

"You're heartless."

Yuria jumped in between them like a child begging for attention. "I know, how about you name it? Naming something is one step to becoming even closer."

"Okay, I'll name her Fuzzums."

"She's talking about the damn toy!"

Of course, Beri always had a thing for naming her stuffed animals. After all, she had to name over thousands and thousands of them. The names usually came by easily for her, but for some reason, nothing came up when thinking of a name for her new Gekota; and brand-given names never stopped her before.

She held the frog tightly to her chest, its head snugged underneath her chin. There was hardly a bonding connection between her and the stuffed frog other than it being from Noel — but that also works as a reason why that bond would never exist. She already had no interest in Japanese toys, but she slowly lost herself in thought as she looked for a name that would be suitable for her new toy.

"Frogs go 'kerokero'", Yuria said as she moved her fingers to mimic the cheeks of an actual frog.

"Ah, then how about…"

Various names relating to frogs and other amphibious traits ran through her head like rapid machine gun fire until a single name finally clicked. It floated high in the void of her mind as if it was always there, waiting for her, like she knew the word was always there from the beginning.

"…'Kuro'?"

"Uwah~ I think that's a great name. What do you think, sis? …Sis?"

Yuria waved her hand in front of Hikari's face.

No response.

She snapped her fingers.

Still no response. Hikari's eyes looked straight ahead, nothing in the world able to cause even a small twitch to her irises.

"If the name's that bad you can just tell me. I'll change it. …Is something the matter?"

Hikari held her head in her hand, almost tumbling over before Yuria held her side. "N-no, it's a fine name. 'Kuro' is a good name for him."

"Really?" Beri looked down at her frog plushie. After thinking about it, she chuckled under her breath and, for the first time, smiled at the idea of owning her first Gekota.

"But… Lacoste…"

"Hm? What is it?"

"Kuro is nice, but… what about the bear?"

Beri slowly opened her mouth, collecting enough air to give her ultimate answer to Hikari's question of the century.

She looked at both her sides and scanned the perimeter of the park before snapping her focus back at Hikari.

"What bear?"

Part 32

Beri walked down the hallway where her and Fumio's dorm was located at. She held Fleur and her new Gekota, Kuro, in each arm.

"Gotta unlock the door for Fumio in case she gets here before I do. Thank goodness no one has caught me without my uniform."

She stood in front of her dorm's door. She used her knee to rotate the door knob, but the sweat caused it to slip. She then used her arm and then her hip, but all that accomplish was nearly give her a bruise.

Ah, fuck it.

She moved the Gekota and held both it and Fleur in one arm.

"You think Kuro is a fitting name, don't you?"

Fleur let out a light growl. Beri took it as a roar of approval, but she was probably just tired. It was adorable, so Beri let it pass.

"Okay, okay. You can rest and I'll just head to their place myself. Maybe after today, Fumio will stop giving me lectures about exercise recommendations every night."

Fleur let out a similar, longer growl.

Beri giggled as she reached for the door knob.

But before she could, she heard footsteps from down the hallway. She turned her head almost involuntary as if somewhere deep down in her subconscious was begging to see what was over there.

Her breathing came to a complete halt and her eyes widen, iris shaking as if her eyeballs desperately tried to jump out of their sockets.

A girl of almost the same height, slightly taller, wearing the same Tokiwadai uniform. Strands of hair sat messily on her face as the rest of her long, brunette hair drifted in the air as she walked down the hallway.

The girl walked passed her and continued on until turning the corner.

The moment she was inches away, Beri's heart stopped. It felt as if a bullet barely missed her face. Her legs felt numb. She leaned against the door to her dorm and slid down halfway before her bow-tied legs awkwardly gave enough support to hold her up. She twisted her body until half of her face was pressed against the cold polished wood of the door. Tears ran down her face as she whimpered, as if unable to accept the fate of the world ending in the next few, hellish minutes.

After what felt like an eternity of crying, she felt a hand grab her shoulder.

She immediately slammed her back against the door and screamed loud enough to hopefully cause the harasser's blood to curl and leave her alone.

But the person didn't run.

Almost passing out from her own scream, she found herself in the arms of someone with a familiar scent, a familiar motherly touch. Like a mother reaching out to hug her after being chased by a dog for a whole minute. A powerful aura reassuring a safe haven created just for her.

Beri looked over Fumio's shoulder and saw the shining moon in the endless, deep sky. The sky, so empty, only reminded her of the growing void inside of her. Beri let go of Fleur and Kuro from her arms and held Fumio tightly without any intention of letting go, or else she would be lost forever inside that void.

"Beri, what's wrong? Answer me, please."

Similar to how Beri thought of the name for her new Gekota, another name came up and lingered in her mind. A name that seemed to have always been there the whole time, despite Beri never coming across it before. Yet the name screamed at her. It was a name that seemed to have only came up due to the pure, extreme fear that Beri experienced the moment she saw that girl walk by.

Her voice quivered and her body shook as she had trouble to even inhale and exhale air.

Yet she still managed to say the name that plagued her head, only to lose herself in wails and tears from the effort.

"…Agent…"


	5. Right and Wrong

**Part 33**

Fumio held a mirror up to Ichigo. Ichigo tilted her head in various angles while adjusting the circlet of white flowers on her head.

"Do you like it?" Fumio said as she lowered the mirror. "I think it perfectly suits you. You look much cuter than you usually do, of course, you're the cutest in all of Academy City."

"Really?" Ichigo blushed, holding her hot cheeks. "I love it even more now that you said something so embarrassing like that. You know you didn't have to go out of your way to buy something for me."

"Well, I haven't given you anything since you achieved Level Four, so consider it a congratulatory gift. Plus, you know how much I love you."

Ichigo giggled. "I love you, too, Fumio. We've been close friends ever since you first came to me at that orphanage. I wouldn't be able to get where I'm at if it weren't for you being with me. Thank you for everything."

Ichigo got up from her seat and walked towards the desk sat against the wall. Rays of light shone through the windows above it, a glowing sillhoutte seem to form around her. Fumio sighed quietly and smiled, taking in as much of the charm and beauty her eyes can hold.

"For the present you gave to me, I'd like to return the favor," Ichigo sat back down and placed a clear box with a white cake inside that looked as if it was a swimming pool filled with all kinds of red-colored berries.

"Oh, wow," Fumio opened her mouth in amazement, "thislooks incredible. It sure beats my gift at presentation, doesn't it?"

"O-oh, n-no no no, I wasn't trying to one-up you or anything. I love your gift more than anything in the world. This cake is just my way of saying thank you. I made it myself, too."

_More than anything in the world._

Those words echoed in Fumio's head as she stared at the fruit cake. She subconsciously picked up a knife and just when seh was about to submerge the blade in the pool of berries, one of the berries glistened in the light.

"Oh," Fumio snapped awake. "These berries are cute. They look just like the ones I ate last night from those flowers."

"It's only red berries that I picked up from the school garden. Cherries, strawberries, raspberries… wait, what flowers?"

"The small red ones that came with those flowers. The circlet. Lily of the Valley, I believe they're called? I had some last night when I made the flowers into a circlet."

"Fumio!" Ichigo clawed at her cheeks, eye twitching. "Those red berries are poisonous! Why did you eat them? Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

"If I were poisoned, I wouldn't be here, would I?"

"I-I guess, but… but they're Lily of the Valleys. Every single part of them are deadly when digested. I can't believe you're so calmed about this. I-I can't believe you ate them without doing a little bit of research."

"Relax, relax. I'm fine, see? I've gone through the morning without any trouble at all. The berries were pretty bitter."

Ichigo sighed as if she barely dodged a truck, slumping down on her seat until half her body was under the table.

"What about Beri? Did she have some?"

"I asked if she wanted some, but then she slipped and fell on her new Gekota and was knocked out for the rest of the night."

"…Thank goodness… I've been worried since… well, you know. _That_ day." Ichigo took a deep breath as she massaged her temples. "I want to say that I'm lucky that work held me up from going to the grand opening, but… no way… I can't believe… I'm so sorry. All my friends being in the middle of such… such…"

"It's okay. What ever happens to us, I never want you to be in any kind of danger. Besides, everything turned out fine."

"Even Beri? She's been restless since then."

Fumio ate a piece of the cake and savored the flavor for a moment. "She's been feeling better. Enough about it. In the end, everything is fine."

Ichigio took another deep breath and forced a smile. "You're right. Oh, speaking of, did you hear about the new student?"

Fumio froze and dropped her fork. After a second, she apologized and picked the fork back up and placed it down in a more proper, mannerly position. "No," she said, feigning disbelief. "That can't be. Not this late in the year."

"Right? She must be really special for Tokiwadai to accept her like this. Anyway, I'm super excited to meet her, not only because she's new, but she's going to be _my_ roommate."

"Room… mate?" Fumio looked over he shoulder. A plain bed kept neat and tidy.

It must have been really lonely all this time, she thought. Ichigo hasn't been assigned a roommate since the first day of school, and Fumio was partly responsible for making sure it stayed that way. There was a little regret, but this way gave Fumio opportunities for her and Ichigo to be together alone. She felt a slight tear between them knowing that a third person would be sharing the same room every day, and even during the most intimate time of the night.

"I really hope we get alone and become great friends," Ichigo said in glee.

"Yeah… Me too…"

**Part 34**

Beri rested against a metal compartment door that stuck out from the pink walls, cleaned and polished to the point that walking down the hallway was like traveling through thousands of bright stars just to reach one of the wooden doors leading to a bedroom. She patted her chest, telling her lungs to calm down as she huffed and puffed heavily like she just finished running a marathon.

"Who knew laundry could be so much work?"

Her mouth dried up as a gust of wind entered passed through her lips with each breath, her stomach expanding to hold as much air as possible. As she reached her max capacity, a metal cart rammed into her abdomen, expelling all the air forcefully out of her as she made a noise similar to a large animal's yelp as it gets smashed.

"We only just started," said Tokiwadai's maid-in-training as she pulled the cart back and forth, forcing out a mouse-like squeak from Beri each time. "We haven't even finished this hall, let alone the rest of the floor. How are you tired already?"

"Not only am I tired, but my dreams have been crushed as well."

At first, Beri was thrilled to help out doing the laundry, but not because she felt like today was a good day to be responsible. It was because she was under the impression that behind the walls of Tokiwadai were twists and turns of humongous slides and the only way to ride on them were through the metal compartment doors that people threw clothes in. The slides could have held deep, dark secrets of Tokiwadai and possibly Academy City, and that the slides could take hours, perhaps days, until it reached the end. At the end would be a long table with corpses sat along the perimeter, sitting and waiting for hundreds of years while each new visitor would be serviced by the world's greatest chefs and be fed the best and most exotic meat until stuffed with so much food they drop dead. It was a fate Beri would be delighted to accept.

Pinned by the cart, Beri collapsed forward, bent from the waist at a ninety degree angle, the cold metal surface pressed against her cheek helped soothe her.

"Look at this, Ran. I'm in excruciating pain. Weren't you taught anything as a maid? Make yourself useful and satisfy your master, will you?"

Ran smacked Beri so hard her head bounced against cart. "Now _I'm_ in pain. I thought you, out of all people, would know what a 'laundry chute' is."

Beri shrugged. "No, I _don't_ know what that is. I've never done any laundry before. The butler usually just takes it."

"You have a-... that explains so much."

"Why do I feel like you had an epiphany and it's something about me that I don't like?" Beri flipped over so her back was on the cart. "I'm the Empress of Tokiwadai, mind you, and I demand to be treated as such."

"First of all, no one calls you that. Second, there's only two people that anyone would follow orders from: the supervisor, and Fumio."

In a futile attempt to teach Ran a lesson, Beri threw a punch but only swung at air. She was too tired and lazy to bother.

"You should learn to be more like her," Ran said. " _'You must bask in your own limitations in order to release your potential within.'_ Or something like that."

"Yeah? And what would that give me?"

"Breasts."

"Fuck you."

"I like ya just the way ya are."

That voice came from a third person. That voice made Beri's heart skip more than just a beat. She shot up from her position, almost slamming herself against the wall. She slowly turned her head away, a dreadful look on her face like she just saw a demon, afraid that what's behind her would scar her for life. Something much worse.

"Oh, why hello there," Ran said in a welcoming manner, as expected from a well-trained maid. "Oh, wait a minute, you must be the new student everyone's been talking about. Welcome."

"Yo, yo~ Sorry ta bother ya, but d'ya mind if I poss'ly borrow my friend Beri here?"

"Oh my, you two know each other?"

Beri was shaking her head while she grabbed the front of her uniform, her heart beating faster and faster.

"Sure, I was just about to continue doing the laundry. I'll take my leave for now. Beri, you behave, okay?"

Beri felt like she was being torn apart as she watched Ran's back getting further and further away until she disappeared around the corner. Heat flashes devoured her body as she felt the energy in the air slowly crept up to her from behind. She took a step forward to get away, but with a twist of her arm, she suddenly found herself faceplanted on someone's chest.

"Howsit goin' lil one? Did ya miss me?"

Beri shrieked in a panic, desperately shoving the girl away. She placed an arm over her chest, her free hand held in front to keep her distance. The heat from before was overtaken by a sudden chill. "W-who are you? There's no way we met before, so tell me what you want from me. I'll do anything as long as you just leave me alone."

The girl gave her a weird look, but then laughed like she heard a good joke. "Man, ya had me there for a sec. I really thought ya had forgotten all about me, but let's be real; I've pretty much engraved my name on yer heart. Yer such a cutie."

Beri scanned her face but the only memory of seeing her is when she saw her walk by in front of her dorm room. However, even though she couldn't remember her face, a certain name kept popping up. She swallowed a gallon of saliva almost as fast as it collected in her mouth.

"...Agent?"

"Hooray~ Ya do remember me. See, no one can forget lil ol' me. Especially since, I mean, suuure, I _did_ try to kill ya that one time, but hey, I even saved yer life, like, right after that. So really, we're good friends now, huh huh?"

Beri was lost for words. Everything came out as stuttering nonsense. She had no idea what Agent was talking about. Did they really meet before and she forgot? But what in the world did she mean by trying to "kill" her and saving her life?

"Did we... play a video game together or something?"

"Whatcha talkin' about," Agent said after another burst of laughter. "Y'know, ya hurtin' my feelins' if ya keep actin' like ye don't know me."

Agent reached out to pat Beri's shoulder, but Beri ducked to the ground and covered her head, screaming for her life.

"D-don't hurt me, don't hurt me...!"

_Did I not wash my hands?_ Agent thought. "Look, am not here to harm ya or anythin'. How 'bout... Oh, why don't ya take me to yer room? Introduce me to Eche- Fumio? And hey, y'can even show me yer pet bear for a sec?"

"P-pet...? Pet... bear? What bear?"

"Oh, c'mon, y'know, whatsitcalled, Kuro-somethin'?"

"Kuro? I've only had Kuro for a few days now... and it's a frog."

"...Fuckin' serious?"

**Part 35**

Her memories distorted and swirled with psychedelic colors as it flushed into the void of nothingness, only to rush back into her mind vividly and clearly. Everything, except for one missing detail that left a gaping hole that if she tried to to remember what it was, it felt as if walking through total darkness in a straight line only to appear right back at the beginning.

"So that's Kuro, huh?" Agent said with one eye closed. "Guess it really was a frog."

Beri held her new frog plush near her face, its large head covering her mouth. She nodded, "my first ever gift from my big bro." She turned around and headed towards the windows.

Once Beri had her back turned, Agent rolled her eyes and mimicked Beri's yapping with her hand.

"He's always looking out for me and stuff. Thought it would be a great addition to my whole collection." She placed the frog down on the window sill. "...I love him," she said in a bored tone.

Agent chortled at the obvious fake passion that came out of those last words. "So, who d'ya share this humongous room with?"

"Oh, my roommate is my best friend, Fumio."

It wasn't a question Agent was serious about asking. She knew who her roommate was and knew every single detail about Beri's personal life; her likes, her fears, her secrets, everything that existed from her very own existence. It was natural for someone who has full access to Academy City's database and records all kept inside her head. Right now, it was all a matter of acting as if she had at least a small decimal of interest in wanting to know more about Beri.

Agent headed towards one of the beds that had another plush toy of a lion resting on top. "This yer bed?" She pinched the fake velvety mane of the lion and inspected the toy as she dangled it in the air.

"That's right, and that right there is Fleu-"

Agent spun the lion plushie around and flung it, bouncing off the bed across from her and hitting the opposite wall. The thud from the impact startled Beri and just when she was about to check on Fleur, Agent hopped from the bed and grabbed Beri's arm.

"So, ya busy today?"

Beri stared at Agent's hand that was around her arm, eyes wide open as if someone was holding a gun to her face. Her heart was beating at a dangerously rapid pace and her spine was desperate to jump out of her body and escape. She slowly inched away, but her arm was completely trapped. Finding a way to distance herself more from her captor, her legs gave out and she fell to her knees, holding her left hand to protect her face, unable to look directly at Agent.

Agent raised an eyebrow and simply watched. The sight of Beri collapsing from utter fear was nothing short of adorable and delicious. Agent couldn't help but lick her lips. She raised a fist in the air and jerked Beri's wrist. Beri cried out and buried her head as she protected herself with only her left arm.

She waited for the inevitable beating, but instead her ears were hit with hysterical laughter. She slowly looked up from her position and saw Agent's face buried in her palm, laughing. If anything, not only was Beri hurting inside, but she was now glowing in embarrassment.

"W-what are you-"

"Damn, I'm a bitch," Agent said, catching her breath. "This chick is traumatized. Love it."

There was a sound of metal clicking. The door swung open and in the middle of the doorway stood Fumio holding a transparent box containing a cake.

Seeing Agent standing over Beri, Fumio walked inside, earth-shattering quakes with each gentle step. The picture of Fumio's sweet, elegant, and mature nature was completely shattered and replaced with cool and indifference and a black aura filling the room that could suffocate everyone in the room.

Air erratically escaped Agent's lips as she restrained herself from laughing out of control. Goosebumps appeared on Agent's skin from the sudden zephyr. However, this reaction of her body wasn't due to fear. It was the growing excitement building up inside.

Dazed and bewildered, Fleur had woken up and, in search for vengeance and worry for her master's safety, sharpened her small fangs and claws, ready to main her desired target. After turning at the bed's leg like a real lion hunting for its prey, she witnessed the person who had thrown her across the room on their knees with Beri. Fleur's "muscles" tensed as she was about to strike in order to protect her master, but after a second glance showed that the person was in the middle of embracing her, arms wrapped shoulder to shoulder like a mother hugging her child. What Fleur could see what Beri couldn't, however, was her middle finger aimed directly at Fumio.

" _She's mine_ ," she said with her lips so Beri wouldn't hear.

At first, Beri's initial reaction was to push her away, but being pulled in much closer than she thought into a hug that was much more intimate than she believed was normal, her hands had slipped off Agent's torso and ended up on her back.

"Aww, I knew ya'd like my hug."

"W-What are you...?"

"Do ya still not trust me? Yer hurtin' my feelins'."

In truth, Beri slowly grew to like such intimate embrace, and as she thought about it, her life didn't seem to be in danger with Agent around despite her panic attacks.

"You're... not that bad," Beri said.

Agent gasped, pretending to be in utter disbelief as she helped Beri to her feet. "Did ya think I was some kind of monster tryna bash your head in or somethin'? Am just a newly enrolled student and I just wanted to meet the famous, one and only Empress of Tokiwadai."

"E-e-e-empress...!?"

Agent nodded. She had Beri in her clutches now.

Beri remembered about Fleur, but Agent pulled her by the waist and headed towards the door. "So how about the Empress have a fun 'lil hang out later today?"

She made sure to drill the word "Empress" into Beri's head to the point that she was almost in a trance-like state. Someone actually calling her by royalty, Beri was at an all-time high that she would say anything without thinking about it as long as in return she was given the respect she deserved.

"So how 'bout it?"

"O-oh, yeah, yeah, that's great," Beri said, not thinking clearly.

"Awesome, it's a date." Agent squeezed Beri's shoulders in another hug and whispered in her ear, "Empress."

As Agent headed towards the door, she could hear Beri behind her repeating the words "Empress, empress" in reverie. She stopped right next to Fumio who had a blatant "what the fuck" expression on her face.

"Hah'd go, Echelon?"

"What do you want from Beri?"

"Ain't it obvious? Shouldn't ya know by now? Or are ya still afraid to use that of yers? Honestly, I think a 'mother' should pull all the strings to take care of what she holds most important to her in this world." Agent grinned and continued towards the door. "'Cuz I plan on correctin' every wrong that this world created."

**Part 36**

Harry's eyes scanned left and right, hiding his embarrassment from curious passerbys by sipping his melon-flavored shaved ice through a straw. His shoulders slightly jerk from random loud instances of chatter by Danielle sitting across from him.

Danielle spoke in English without any regard to those around her, almost disrupting even the usual boisterous nature of Academy City's crowded streets, confident in the notion that as long as the Japanese locals don't understand her, no one on either side is being bothered.

"Come oooon, Leivi-chaaan~ You and your sister should have came with us. Imagine all the fun we could've had together. Imagine all the fashionable clothes I could have gotten you to wear. Oh come now, you can't wear frilly dresses your whole life. Yeah, but I make cute dresses work. You need a more boyish style like the girls here; shorts, hoodies - yes it _does_ matter. How are you going to be a successful magician if you refuse to let your personality radiate like the blazing sun, permanently engraving your mark everywhere you go? I know everything about it. I made the science."

"Teach," Harry whispered as loud as he could to grab her attention, "you're being too loud. Leave Leivinia alone and hang up already."

"You'll never be a good magician if you keep up that attitude of yours, Leivi-chaaan. Leivi-chaaaaan~"

Danielle kept repeating in a cutesy tone as if she were talking to a puppy.

"Hey, hey, say 'Onee-chan'. Let me hear you say it. Leivi-chaaa- she hung up."

Harry gave a sigh of relief. "That's probably why she didn't want to come in the first place."

"What do you mean?" She adjusted her blue ribbon, flattening it against her white corset and keeping it snug underneath her breasts. "There's no better opportunity to perfect your magic than Academy City."

Harry sat his drink down and stirred the slush with his straw. "I'm curious. What about Academy City makes you think I can learn anything? The city of science and technology; there's nothing about this place that can help me with magic."

"Nonsense."

She unlatched a silver book hooked onto the side of her corset with a small chain. She flipped through the pages until she found the one she was looking for, flicking her finger against the page.

"You're sister wanted me to help you in finding your own style of magic. I brought you here not to do research on Espers, but to immerse yourself in an environment that would provide you the utmost freedom in unlocking your own style of magic."

Danielle twirled her finger in the air as small stars sparkled from the tip.

"Of course," she sighed as she looked lost in her book, "making up the rules and establishing the foundation of your own magic is very, very difficult. That's why I'm here to assist you."

She stood and bent over the table to take a sip of Harry's drink.

"Plus, it's convenient for me because not only do I get to continue my personal research, I also get to fulfill a special little job."

"And what would this job pertain?"

Danielle curled the side of her lips and pulled a long blue ribbon from inside her sleeve, elegantly tossing it over her shoulders and, as if on command, the ribbon sat loosely around her shoulders with one end wrapped tightly multiple times around her right arm.

"You know very well how much I despise the church."

**Part 37**

Takeshi flipped through pages of paperwork as he walked down a hallway with teenage female officers lined up against the wall, some poking their heads out of the many open office doors. Chatter and squeals filled the air, but all the noise were blocked out as his eyes darted through numerous reports. The only thing that grabbed his attention away was the voice of a redheaded officer who followed closely behind.

"They said you'll have a new office by next week."

The total destruction of the mall meant his usual headquarters had been completely demolished. He had been offered an office space in the Anti-Skill main headquarters, but he figured it was just a way to make it easier to track him down for support their operations and annoying favors.

The alternative option didn't seem too bad. At the very least, he would be working in an environment surrounded by juniors.

Takeshi moved his eyes away from the papers for the first time. "I'm surprised you even got my foot into the Garden."

"It wasn't that difficult since it's you. It was even easier since it's me. I'm not an Elite Officer, but I do know how to pull some strings."

She threw her arm to the side and prevented a couple of fangirls from ambushing Takeshi. She smiled at the fact that she was the only girl who could be this close to him and she made sure all the other girls knew.

"Even Alistair turns a blind eye from little ol' me." She giggled at the pride she had in her own skills. "The Garden's a good choice, though. Lots of stores, restaurants, and entertainment. The most wonderful part of Academy City. Of course, you know that. Although, isn't there a bigger reason why you chose this place?"

"I thought it would be a nice change of pace from being stuck inside an office room by myself. I can also perform my job better being around my juniors, and in turn, my juniors can learn from me."

She rolled her eyes from his boring answer and said sarcastically, "Yeah, that's so true. I can definitely see any one of us in the Garden HQ to reach the level of the only Elite Officer in Judgment."

"You never know. Besides, this is the only ideal place to set a base of operations now that she's back."

"Don't worry, Takeshi. If Agent truly is back, then Academy City will revert back to its darkest days. Judgment and Anti-Skill will do their best to prevent that. At the very least, the general consensus of what happened during the mall attack is that a Level 0 had a bad day and wanted to take it out on everyone else. Fortunately, Judgment took care of him and prevented any casualties. The Judgment officers, except for you and Miss Konori, have been taken into psychiatric care. Some taken to an asylum. No worries about that, the media has taken care of it and everyone's passing it off as mass amnesia."

"You responsible with taking care of any conspiracy theorists?"

"Damn right I am. And here we are."

She shoo'd away a couple of younger officers blocking the way and opened the door that led to her office room.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

She swung the door wide open to reveal the inside of her every day working area; a room that appeared much larger than everyone else's in the Garden's headquarters.

As she stepped through, her arm twisted behind her and she was forced back out. The door slammed in front of her face. After a couple seconds of registering what happened, she realized Takeshi had gone in without her.

She pounded the door with her fist.

"Hey! I'm the one who gave you a place to stay! You can't just throw me out of my own room! ...We're not even married yet!"

**Part 38**

He locked the door behind him and pounding from the other side soon followed.

He stood still and waited for the annoying pounding to stop. As the noises ceased, he took a step forward, trying to get himself comfortable in his new, but temporary, office area. In front was a regular, boring office desk with a personal desktop off to the side. A large leather chair sat facing away from it. On the right side of the room was the living quarters; an L-shaped sofa faced towards a flat screen television sat against the surface of the glass panel windows. The left side fitted a small kitchen with all necessary components. It was like a kitchen for a five-star restaurant fitted into a much smaller room.

The amount of space was nice and the professional setting was easy to get used to. However, it did look pretty boring. It looked more like an attempt at looking like an old-fashioned, classy European chambers with a very limited budget. It wasn't bad enough to say that he would be incompatible, but coming from a luxurious suite built inside one of Academy City's most popular malls, this was a huge downgrade.

Maybe a slight adjustment in revenue was needed for the Garden's HQ.

Papers and books were scattered all over the desk. It seemed all this time he had underestimated the amount of work his carefree assistant did on her own time. However, a closer look of the papers reveal unfinished summaries, reports dating weeks ago, fanfiction, and other personal collections.

There was also a hot cup of coffee.

He had seen through the shameless façade. He sighed and reached for the coffee. The moment he wrapped his fingers around the handle, the leather chair turned and revealed a girl with brunette hair sitting with her legs crossed. She wore a Tokiwadai uniform.

"Hey Takiii~ Who'd expect to see you here in these neck of the woods? ...What's that?"

Takeshi held his handgun and aimed it at Agent's head, his finger on the trigger.

Agent got up from her seat and leaned towards the gun, one eye closed as she looked directly into the barrel.

"Why d'ya have that thing?" She sat back down, arms and legs crossed, her eyebrow raised as if wondering if Takeshi was being serious. "Go ahead, man, pull the trig. Ya lost ya first chance back at the mall. The feelin' of killin' me, seein' me down in the dirt, completely lifeless. Vulnerable. Ya could have fulfilled even more of yer dirty fantasies right there."

She shifted her body so she leaned to the side, her elbow on the armrest, cheek rested on her knuckles. A shit-eating grin was plastered on her face.

"'Course, even if ya did kill me right then, it would have only been temporary. I just wanted to give ya the chance to feel what it's like to be winnin', and we both know that I could skullfuck Death any time I want, anyway."

Takeshi's muscles tightened, his hand squeezed around the handgun so hard it could leave an imprint. He pulled the trigger just enough that it would move without firing.

"I won't move. Go ahead and shoot."

They both kept their poses as if frozen in time. Just a small twitch would fire the bullet straight to Agent's head.

But that wouldn't be enough.

Takeshi withdrew his weapon and sheathed it back into his coat.

Agent laughed. "Finally, ya took fo-damn-ever. Were ya trying to build up an epic atmosphere or somethin'? Don't worry, the climax of the story won't be needin' ya."

Takeshi ignored her and picked up the coffee that was still hot. He brought the rim up to his lips, but before he took a sip, he opened one eye and noticed Agent pressing her chest together with her forearms.

"Ya sure ya wanna drink that?" she cooed. "Ya dunno where it came from."

Takeshi shrugged and went on to take a sip. He tilted his head back slightly when the coffee wasn't as hot as he expected.

"Wow. Pervert."

"That's not how the body works." Takeshi sat the mug back down. "That's not how _your_ body works."

"I _know_ that, _asshole_."

Takeshi headed towards the L-shaped couch and placed his officer hat and coat on top of the backrest. He faced towards Agent and leaned back against the side of the couch, arms crossed flexing his muscles that weren't covered by his sleeves.

Agent raised an eyebrow. "Ya tryin' ta seduce me there?"

"Just tell me what you're doing in my assistant's office."

She jumped a bit in shock and looked around the room. "Wait, this ain't yers?"

She opened a nearby drawer and dug around for various items and pulled them out without a second thought.

"So these yaoi doujins aren't yers? Wha'bout these dragon... tails? Or even these illegal aphrodisiacs? Okay, this ball gag just screams you, don't fuckin' lie- no?"

With a loud groan, Agent threw all the items she picked everywhere, scattering them all over the floor. Her body slowly slid down as she slouched on the chair in defeat.

"Dullest man alive," she said as she bobbled her head left and right. "Well, if ya must know, I enrolled into Tokiwadai."

"You're definitely short enough to fit in."

"Drown in shit. Anyway, I just need confirmation."

Agent got up from her seat and walked towards Takeshi. She stood in front of him and struck a pose, her hand on her hip and bent by the waist, her shirt almost riding up to expose what's underneath.

"What d'ya think of the uniform? I used to find it so tacky, but now that I'm wearin' it, it looks pretty cute. Dunno 'bout the skirt, though. It's pretty short; can almost see my panties. Wanna take a look?"

"If you don't have anything of value, please leave."

"What, not interested?"

Takeshi had already started staring at the opposite wall.

"Okay, okay, I _got_ chu. It's about that one chick I mentioned in the email. Lil Miss... Empress. I believe ya met her."

His attention switched to Agent after the thought of the girl came to his mind.

"The puppetmaster," he said. "What about her?"

Agent leaned in and gestured her hand for Takeshi to come closer. He leaned in closer to offer his ear.

"That chick," she whispered, "is wearing the same panties I have right now."

Takeshi grabbed the back of Agent's collar and casually dragged her across the floor as he headed towards the glass windows. He threw her like a heavy sack crashing through the thick panels. He stepped towards the edge and watched her get smaller and smaller as she fell.

Only seconds before she hit the ground, her body turned into a blur and disappeared faster than a blink.

Then he heard a voice behind him.

"Yo~"

He twisted his body before his legs could even react, and the first thing he saw was Agent, standing in the middle of the room, wiggling her fingers and sticking her tongue out. She grabbed the hem of her skirt and lifted it up, revealing the cotton white panties underneath and another thing just as eye-catching: a mechanical device latched around her thigh.

"Y'know that missin' person from the mall attack, right? Yeah, yeah, this was his gift to me before he boom'd. Those nice lil bunches of worms are tryin' ta harness the power of multiple Esper abilities. I guess y'can say, I made my own prototype."

She dropped her skirt back over her thighs and shook her hips. "The way it works is that it picks up any nearby diffusion fields and mimics its wavelengths, allowin' me ta manipulate and utilize it for myself. Cool, huh?"

"It's certainly an odd mix of something impossible... and yet not that impressive anyway."

"HOOWAAOOW~! Big, blazin', blue balls of bullshit on this bastard right here. I'll forget what you said 'cuz I got some important things to talk about and I'm sure ya got some questions yerself but I'm totes not gonna answer any of 'em now 'cuz fuck you. Yer poss'ly wonderin' why I decided to return from outta no where after sooo damn long, well, lemme tell ya, I'm here, yer here, shut the fuck up. Nice to see ya again, hows the kids? What? _Retarded_? Well, it's been, what, three years, or somethin'? Doesn't matter. Shithead. Aaaanyway..."

"Get on with it already. Lacoste. What do you know about Lacoste?"

"Oh c'mon," she leaned back and placed her legs on the desk, "ya got me here and ya want me to tell you 'bout some other chick's panties? Cold, cold, cold. But ya believe me, huh? After what happened at the mall, yer interest just skyrocketed. It's true that Beri Lacoste has a special lil somethin' 'bout her that would definitely benefit anyone who owns her."

"You targeting her means her safety is my primary concern. The fact that what you said about her special trait turned out to be true only means that I must make her safety my top priority."

"What a sad and pitiful man. Right, well, whatever makes ya happy for now, fine by me, but really there's more to it. But first, there's one thing I need to be made clear of. That plush toy she normally carried around... what animal was it?"

"Do you mean that teddy bear?"

"Is that the one that kicked your ass?"

Rather than respond, Takeshi picked up the cup of coffee that has now gone cold and took a sip.

Agent snapped her fingers. "Fuckin' knew it. A 'frog' my ass. Fuckin' with me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Memetics. A damn powerful one, too. First time I ever questioned my immunity to psychic effects. Was it an Esper ability? Someone to make rag girl their bitch? Or was it..."

"If it has anything to do with Lacoste, fill me in."

"Why?" Agent snickered. "I knew I found the right gal for ya. Anyway, if it really was a bear, well, it was replaced by a Gekota. A gift from her brother. One look at it and memories of the bear gets erased. Honestly, it wouldn't bother me as much as it does, but I _really_ wanted to fuck that bear up, and not only did I not get to do just that, but he fucked with my memories. I'm mad."

"So someone out there got the better of you? I'm surprised you're having trouble piecing this together. You know more than Academy City's databases."

"That's the thing." Agent had a serious look on her face that Takeshi hasn't seen in forever. "I _don't_ know. And if I _don't_ know, then than makes me even more angry, and it hurts my pride. That also means that there's only one thing and only thing only that can explain it. And that's-"

A knock came from the door.

Agent sighed. "It's that pink hair chick. She wants yer pants. I'll be right here." She ducked under and hid beneath the desk.

Takeshi checked for the time on his phone. More knocking on the door.

"You can come right in, Kuroko Shirai. The area is open for you."

There was silence for a few seconds until a whimper came from the other side.

"I... I can't teleport myself, sir."

Takeshi was genuinely surprised. He could have sworn that Agent was hinting the fact that she mimicked Kuroko's ability. Is she able to use other Esper powers past the skill level of whoever she is mimicking?

"Hey now," Takeshi said in an encouraging, yet somewhat mocking tone. "That's not the kind of attitude a Judgment officer should have."

Takeshi readied himself to congratulate the young teleporter on achieving a new skill that would grant her clearance to the next level. However, after a minute of nothing happening, he grew impatient and the proud look on his face disappeared as he rolled his eyes with a sigh.

He was caught off-guard from a loud crash that caused the door to almost shake off from its hinges. A chuckle came from under the desk. He kicked it.

"Ow! Fuck off."

He headed towards the door and turned the knob, using his fingers to swing the door open with one swift motion.

Kuroko Shirai fell forward and hit the ground, groaning in pain. She had tried to teleport herself through the other side of the door but somehow ended up ramming herself against it.

"Are you okay?"

Kuroko's eyes were wide open the moment she heard his voice. She shot herself straight up, stiffen her back, and raised her hand to her forehead to salute.

"K-Kuroko Shirai, reporting. What... What happened to the windows?"

"Budget cuts," he said as he led Kuroko inside and closed the door behind her before anyone else noticed.

"W-well, sir, please forgive my intrusions..."

"Stop speaking like that," he said, placing his hand on Kuroko's head. "I don't much care for formalities. I get enough of that. Aren't you Konori Mii's?"

Kuroko smiled. She was glad that the person she looked up to remembered who she was.

"Yes, that's what I wanted to speak with you about."

She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, locked her arms and legs in atten-hut, and then bowed from the waist in a ninety degree angle.

"Please take me under your wing!"

"No."

"Wha- why not!?"

Kuroko was taken aback by the immediate rejection. She expected him to at least think about, but it was clear he had absolutely no interest in taking her in. It felt like her whole soul had instantly shriveled up before it got the chance.

Takeshi rubbed the back of his neck and went to the desk to lean against it. "I see no reason if Konori was specifically chosen to be your mentor."

"But that's just it," she said putting her emotions behind it, but just enough restraint not to sound too disrespectful. "I won't be able to better myself as a Judgment officer if she continues being my mentor. She doesn't have any confidence in me, but I promise if I'm with you I'll prove that I keep up, whether it's on patrol or even during a mission."

In the current climate, many Espers at her age would be playing with their friends and practicing their abilities. Having powers like they're favorite characters on TV and becoming heroes themselves, or just the idea of living in a world of powers, is enough to convince any child to leave their boring, normal life and come to Academy City.

Usage of drugs and needles be damned.

However, most aren't willing to see the harsh reality that spawned one of the cheesiest morals: with great powers comes great responsibility. It is Judgment's responsibility to remind everyone that. That is why Takeshi was pleasantly surprised to see a girl so young and so determined to climb up the ranks as a Judgment officer and to prove her worth. The intense flames in her eyes showed how much passion and determination she was willing to put, and at that moment of realization, Takeshi had a glance at Judgment's future.

But the next thing Kuroko said changed the hint of pride on Takeshi's face to scorn.

"I just... don't want to be some off-to-the-side lousy subordinate; I want to be up there with the best. Isn't that what you thought as well when you first joined Judgment?"

Her words was like stepping on a land mine. Takeshi smacked her across the face. She slowly, but hesitantly, looked back at him. Her eyes glistened under a coat of water; it took all of her will and soul to hold in her tears. Wrinkles on the bridge of his nose, there was no mistaking it; he was pissed off. Kuroko could feel herself being beaten to a pulp by the torrent of energy in the air.

It took the noises from Kuroko's rapid double breathing to get Takeshi to snap out of it and realize what he had just done. He looked at the hand he had struck her with and looked back at her. The same girl who had stood there with resolve was almost reduced to a sobbing mess; only the stubbornness of her fortitude kept her to stand in place, her character fortified by a wall built stronger than most others.

Takeshi lowered himself to one knee, their eyes on the same level, patted her head as he tried bring out the girl who stood there minutes before.

"There's only one route that will take you to the top, and the only way you can reach it is to climb it with your own two feet."

Kuroko looked down at the floor for a couple seconds before looking back at him. "But if you just give me a chance to follow in your footsteps-"

"If you want to follow in my footsteps, you follow the orders of your superiors, and the order I'm giving you now is to stick with your current lead."

"But-"

"Do you honestly believe I joined Judgment already in the position I am now?" He spoke softly and wiped her tears with his thumb. "I'm here because I started out like you and everyone else. I had a mentor and I had to follow her around and learn from her. Growing from that experience is the most important thing a young officer like yourself can do."

It didn't cross her mind that Takeshi started out without any experience as a Judgement officer as well. She imagined Takeshi being some sort of prodigy; already becoming the best officer there ever was on his first day of the job. She tried to picture him a few years younger and as some kind of immature boy, but that imagery seemed way to extreme and unbelievable.

She believed she was better than the position she was currently in.

"But my growth as an officer is being stunted while under Miss Konori. She only lets me do errands, and even when she lets me accompany her on patrol, she holds me back and doesn't allow me to work first-hand as an actual officer."

Takeshi shook his head. "She only means well. After all, you've only been a trainee for less than a year. Make good with what you have; you're in a much better position than I was when I first started out. Only in time you'll get what you want."

"But... but how do I-..."

In an instant, all of Kuroko's senses were focused solely on Takeshi, intensified tenfold as if the whole world around her but him vanished. A sensation of being forcefully dragged down an endless tunnel with only the light of Takeshi's presence to guide her way. Her body, heart, and soul, for just a split second, bounded by strings that dictated her decision-making, morality, reasoning, and heart.

He grabbed her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. "If you can just nurture the strength to stick to your convictions, the results you seek will soon follow in time."

His words played repeatedly over and over again in her head. Her thoughts were so focused on the meaning behind those words that she didn't realize Takeshi had already led her to the door.

"Kuroko Shirai. Continue with your training, and I promise you that we will be standing side-by-side. However, you will not be my apprentice or partner, but a fellow officer watching from the top of the summit. Do you understand?"

She gulped and nodded, her face red, tears formed in her eyes from the sadness of not being able to be his partner mixed with her newfound pride and motivation causing her heart to beat faster. Whatever it took, she wanted the best officer in all of Judgement to look at her as an equal.

Takeshi touched the closed door with his forehead. Sounds of a chair spinning in circles came from behind.

"That was craaaazy," Agent said as the chair spun in circles while she drank coffee. "Ya could bang every chick in the city if ya use that some more. Just a tip: a girl doesn't like bein' lied to."

"I didn't give her any lies," he said, barely moving his lips.

"Ya been feedin' on a silver platter yer entire life, but that's none of my business." She planted her elbows on the desk and rested her chin on the bridge of her fingers. "Not anymore."

He felt like he was ran over by a train - he wished he was ran over by a train. He walked as if he had no energy to lift his knees, his feet shuffling against the floor. The amount of guilt he felt, pounded by the weight of the universe on his back. He held the edges of the desk, and without bothering to look at Agent, mumbled softly.

"What other information do you have?" he said hoping for a positive answer to clear his mind. "About Beri Lacoste?"

"Nah." She pulled out a mobile touchscreen device and tapped her finger on the screen. "I'd tell ya more, actually, but yer obviously aren't in the mood right now. I sent ya another email with some additional info. I need ya to trust me and read it. Just like the last one."

A vibration sound came from the sofa where Takeshi's officer coat sat. It vibrated a couple more times, but Takeshi didn't budge.

After a few seconds of silence, Agent got up from her seat and loosened her neck. She leaned against the desk, gazing at the plain blue sky outside the office windows. "Ya missed me, didn't ya? Weirdo. Don't lie. Mm, ya can't. Not in the situation yer in ya can. Listen, Takeshi- Well, I guess ya have to, but whatev, listen up. Academy City's gonna change. It's gonna be fuckin' fun. And I feel that it's gonna be the same kind of fun like the good ol' days. Super fuckin' nostalgic. That's why I want to take this chance and ask ya this simple question: want to have fun with me again?"

She lifted her skirt and pressed a small button on the mechanical device around her thigh which turned off the small red indicator. "Are ya up for being taken under _my_ wing?"

The heavy feeling in Takeshi's chest subsided and his clouded thoughts cleared away. His facial expression, however, didn't change. His sharp eyes looked towards Agent. Cold, killer eyes. The eyes that could only lead to death to the person that could have the misfortune to gaze upon it. He held Agent's neck in his grasp, his fingers squeezed and buried in her throat, lifting her feet off the floor. This got her super excited. It made her wet. It made her body shiver in ecstasy knowing that Takeshi was taking this simple action on his own accord.

**Part 39**

Danielle and Harry walked through a large park, watching the students, mostly young children, practice honing their Esper abilities. Some were attempting to lift their friends with telekinesis, some were playing ball using their powers, and some were being more adventurous by playing tag or even a little sparring.

The games they played interested Harry enough to grab his attention for most of the walk, but it was Danielle that after as if she was lost in a dream as her eyes never let the Espers.

She was such in her dreamlike state, her legs walking forward following the cement trail on their own until she bumped into another girl.

"Oh, I'm so sor-"

After a second quick take at ego she bumped into, she switched her language to her native tongue; French.

"I'm really sorry, miss. I should have paid more attention."

"Oh, hey, you're..." She was caught staring at Danielle's chest. "Uh, nice ribbons. I'm in a hurry right now so hopefully we bump into each other again."

The girl took a step and hesitated, quickly looking back at Danielle before finally running off. Danielle watched her until she was out of sight, giggled to herself, and tugged on the blue ribbon trapped underneath her breasts.

"She's cute," she said.

"Pay more attention, please. It's fortunate that you bumped into someone who's French. I really don't want to bother the Japanese. Now, care to remind me why we're spending our time in the park?"

Danielle diverged from the path towards a nearby hill. She didn't exactly walk up the hill, but more accurate to say she gracefully hopped on a series of invisible stairs, side to side, each hop and step releasing sparkles.

Once she reached the top, she watched over the whole area and raised her arms to her side, taking in the view, watching Espers go on with their activities.

"Imagine a world where magicians could freely showcase their magic to the public."

Harry nearly choked. "What the bloody hell are you spouting out now? Magic? To the public? Use that nonsensical imagery of yours and imagine the consequences of what would happen if the rest of the world found out about magic. A normal human's brain won't be able to handle the crash-"

Like a sledgehammer, Danielle's palm struck the side of Harry's face.

"You fool," she said. "Then what about Espers? The world has already accepted them. Why not magicians?"

Staggered, his senses returned after a moment. He flinched when Danielle moved, but she didn't hit him again. Instead, she placed her hands on both his cheeks and massaged his face. The pain he felt from the slap was nullified completely; he felt even better than before as if he just finished having a week's worth of recuperation.

Danielle just didn't want to end up being executed by firing squad or dismemberment if the person who employed her found out she hit the employer's younger brother.

She turned and sighed. Harry gulped, thinking which words would put her off and which would settle her down, but he needed to be sure of something.

"You've been doing your own personal research on magic principles."

"I just want magicians to be just like Espers." She looked up into the sky and held her arms out as if absorbing the radiant glow of the sun. "That's why I'm rewriting the mechanics, the laws, the whole foundation magic is built upon. Magic that would focus on skill, talent, and personality. No more piggybacking on the rules of certain religions and fairy tales. The magic I'll bring about is what I'm teaching to you and Leivinia. Incidentally, it's also why I decided to take up on that special job."

Harry wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist, his tongue checking between the lower lip and teeth for any taste of blood.

"That job... you said it had something to do with the Catholic Church. I don't get it. You hate having to do anything associated with the church."

She shrugged. "Maybe just this once I had a change of heart."

Harry narrowed his eyes, neck bent to the side, growing impatient.

She gave him a playful slap to the face. "Okay, okay, it's moreso a benefit to me than it is to the church."

"And that would be?"

"Oh, kidnap the target and do unspeakable things until the target complies to our requests."

Harry stared at her for a good few seconds before letting out a loud groan. "Wonderful. Of course you'd do something like that. And who's this target?"

"That girl I bumped into earlier."

"Professor!?"

"Whaaaat? Did you see how cute she was? Besides, I have everything set up and ready in case she decides that she's just too good for her fate."

**Part 40**

Beri ran as fast as she could to the area where she agreed to meet Agent. She was about half an hour late and she ran non-stop from the school to the park. Normally, she wouldn't be this tired after some long sprinting, but mixed with her feelings of dread thinking about what her punishment may be for being late, her heart raced faster than a tardy employee with a bad standing.

She cursed Fumio under her breath. _What was her deal?_ When Beri informed her of the "date" she was going to have with the new student, Fumio started acting weird. She kept her from leaving the dorm by making her try Ichigo's cake. Reasonable enough, but she wasn't satisfied with just a lick or even a bite. If Beri hadn't escaped, she was sure Fumio would have shoved it down her throat.

There it was. A lone soda machine and a white park bench. More importantly, Agent wasn't anywhere in sight. Without slowing down, Beri dived towards the bench without an attempt to break her fall and spun in midair. A short skid and a small bounce on the back of her head; whatever pain she felt subsided with the relief knowing that she arrived earlier than Agent. What clear and concise thoughts she had before were now scrambled due to exhaustion, the blue sky above shook as if it were laughing at her. Panting heavily, she smiled as the cool spring air brushed against her face, her energy slowly rejuvenating.

Her lull and short moment of recuperation was then broken by a loud pop and sizzle.

"I'd go on a killin' spree if someone stood me up on our date."

Beri jerked her head and choked on air as if something hit the back of her throat and hit the ground as she rolled over. Her heart started to beat faster than when she was running and her chest got tighter when she saw a couple of tennis shoes attached to a pair of smooth ivory legs. She already knew who it was from the voice, but there was a slither of hope that it would turn out to be someone else, someone who she had mistaken for someone else, someone who also happened to have planned their meeting with their significant other - someone, anyone with a different, unrecognizable face the moment she looks up.

Her head shot up and for a quick second, her vision blurred before fixated on a girl with bright green hair tied up into a pony tail, eyes large like orbs and yellow like the sun. Beri stared at it for a few seconds trying to figure out who the mysterious girl was until the girl's face smacked against Beri's, causing her to flinch from a sudden cold sensation.

"Ya seem tired," Agent said while gently shaking a can of soda in front of Beri's face.

The act of kindness was so out of left-field that she wasn't sure what to do. She thought of anything that could justify this as some sort of trap, because at the back of her mind, since the first time they met earlier in school, she felt a degree of malice coming from her. She wasn't exactly sure why; Agent seemed nice enough and was fairly interested in her new plushie, but that feeling of the world ending at any moment just wouldn't leave her chest.

She took the can of soda and Agent opened another, dropped herself on the bench, and chugged all its contents. Beri followed suit and sat on one end of the bench away from Agent. She took a sip while subtly watching Agent's movements. However, she couldn't see past Agent's hair; something was occupying her attention in the opposite direction, her right ankle resting on top of her left thigh. That gave Beri the cue to turn her head for a better look, but oddly enough, it felt as if she were being ignored. Only a few minutes into the "date". Was she being a bother?

"I-I didn't mean to be late," Beri said. "Stuff was keeping me held up in school."

"Hm? Ah, nah nah, I just got here, too."

Agent shook her foot that was hanging off her left knee. Was she bored? Beri couldn't believe - in fact, it stung - that the person who asked her out was the one not getting into their "date" - she shook her head every time she thought of this as an actual date. And yet, after letting the situation sink in, Beri let he eyes wander as she watched Agent. She hadn't noticed it before, but there was some odd sense of maturity and coolness coming from her as she looked off to the distance, towards the trees. And the clouds. And the birds. And the light post.

Beri puffed one of her cheeks to hold in a small laugh. "Did you really meant this as a date? Or maybe, maybe you just wanted to hang out and you meant today, is all."

"What, is my mouth a keyboard? Makin' typos?"

"I guess I just have wildly different expectations for dates."

Agent twitched. For probably the first time in her life, she was feeling flustered. "Ya makin' fun of me? Aren't ya like fourteen? Ya want to be taken to a masked ball or somethin'? Ya been on an actual date before?"

"Not a date-date, but I've been out with my... _brother_ before when I was little," Beri said almost reluctantly.

"Shaddap and drink."

Beri silently scoffed and continued drinking her soda. She let out a sound of satisfaction as she tilted her head back to gulp down even more.

"W-woah, these are pretty good," Beri said, just as excited as the girl on the can. "So sweet. It sticks to your lips."

Agent shook her can around, collecting all the dew inside towards the bottom. "I don't know who the chick is or what she has to do with the drink. Could be her sweat. Or..." She shrugged as she cleaned out the last drops.

The gears in Beri's head spun trying to finish Agent's sentence while she slowly yet reluctantly lift the can up to her lips for another sip.

Agent continued, "These drinks are pretty good. Y'know, they're plannin' on replacin' this stuff with more experimental, healthy alternives."

"So, I've been meaning to ask. Are you from the countryside or- awah!"

Agent dented her now-empty can against Beri's head. "Shaddap. I don't need ya critic-in' the way I speak." She tossed the crushed can behind her. "Have enough people fer that."

Beri rubbed her head where she was hit. She whimpered in pain but her whining turned into a cordial laugh. "Sorry, sorry. I don't have a problem with it. I'm used to weirder accents all the- tawah!"

Despite each hit getting harder and harder, Beri misunderstood Agent's intentions and kept laughing as if each hit was equivalent to a playful tickle. The unusual reaction pissed Agent off, she pulled back her hand and smacked herself. She went back looking the opposite direction.

Beri nudged her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Pleased as punch," she said, looking at her fist. "Thanks fer askin'."

"Do ya wan anotha- kawah!"

After one last smack to Beri, Agent stood in front of the soda machine and looked through the selection. "Gonna miss all these."

"You said they're going to replace them with new types of flavors? I never heard of that."

"'Course ya haven't. Hold on, I have an idea."

She grabbed something from her skirt's pocket and shoved her fist inside the compartment where the drinks fall into.

"I hate 'em, but I guess they're useful in certain situations."

"What are you trying to do?"

"Just give it a minute." Agent swept her hands and stood back.

After a moment, the machine instantly expanded and there was a loud boom that made Beri jump out of her seat. She thought her ears themselves exploded. Then, like releasing air from a balloon, the machine slowly deflated until it reached it's normal size and shape.

"Nice, nice," Agent nodded in approval, hands on her hips and chest puffed out with pride.

Screeches of metal grinding and clanking against each other were heard from inside, and like a tennis machine gone haywire, soda cans shot out at rapid speed, covering the pavement in just seconds.

"It's good to stockpile all necessary goods before it all disappears," Agent said. "Like during an apocalypse."

"W-w-w-what did you just do!?"

Beri kicked the massive pile of cans as she ran up to the machine. "How do you stop it?" She grabbed both sides of the soda machine and shook it around, but it didn't cease. She swung her arm and bashed the side of the machine, but all that accomplished was pain vibrating up her arm and to her shoulder.

"Ya've some kind of hatred fer that arm of yers?" Agent said amusingly. "Keep it up and the machine will stay busted forever."

"What are we gonna do!? We broke a public soda machine and we're making a total mess! If anyone catches us, we're screwed, and worst of all, Fumio is gonna scold me agaaaiin!"

Agent patted Beri's back. "It's okay, yo. If Milfy McTits starts bitin', I can handle'r fer ya. Besides, d'ya really think we're gettin' caught?"

" _Hold it right there!_ "

A kid short enough to be in elementary school held his hands out forward as if pushing a wall, stretching a green strap that tapered diagonally around around his overly round figure. The strap had white markings and a familiar white shield.

"I'm a Judgement officer, and I'm here to put you under arrest. So stay right there or else I'm going to have to give you a beating of a lifetime."

For a member of Judgment, Beri thought the boy wasn't that intimidating and didn't have the gravitas that any member of the force would have. Anyone could see as plain as day that the kid was very inexperienced. However, a Judgment newbie is still a member of Judgment, and Beri didn't want to think about what would happen if things escalated.

Beri grabbed Agent's hand. "Hey, let's get out of here, quick." She started to head off, but she almost fell when Agent pulled her back with one quick pull. "What's up with you? We need to get out of-"

A same feeling from earlier came back and Beri forgot to breathe. Agent's eyes displayed utter maliciousness, a savage glare that could set the world on fire, and a sardonic grin confirming Agent's feelings that a world set on a path of destruction just wasn't satisfactory enough.

"I like the new blood," Agent said through her teeth.

The stout boy was oblivious to the predicament he was in. He stood tall, displaying his stash as if it was the blinding ray of light that would make all demons and evildoers wither away in its glory and be banished forever. But, if anyone was going to disintegrate into thin air like a vampire turned to ash under the sun's light, it would be the new officer in front of her. Agent was going to make sure that it would look just like the movies; smoke and ash scattered in the air, but with flesh, blood, and bones as sufficient substitutions.

Agent tugged on her cuffs and scratched her wrists. She was getting an itch that needed immediate relief. But as she stepped forward, bent her knee in the position to pounce, a soda can shot through the air and hit the boy in the face, exploding on contact and the juice splattering everywhere. The boy fell as far as the can dropped.

Beri said, "C'mon, I gave us time. Let's hurry."

Agent looked at the fallen officer in disappointment, but made the most of it by kicking another full can of soda and hitting the kid directly between his legs.

As Beri and Agent ran off, the blue sparks crawled up the street lamp next to the bench and the glass shattered into pieces.

A young girl stood over the unconscious boy, sparks of blue electricity flickering from her bangs.

**Part 41**

Beri had taken Agent outside of the park's perimeter.

Agent said to herself, "You seem to have more endurance back when I was trying to kill you."

"What was that?" Beri said, leaning against a traffic light and catching her breath.

Agent shook her head. She walked up to Beri and forcibly pulled her into a hug. It wasn't because she felt caring all of a sudden, but if there was anything valuable to be learned from watching slice-of-life's, it would be that this is the time a friend would do something comforting.

Beri lazily wrapped her arms around Agent's back, her own chest pressed tightly against Agent's bosom as she gasped for air while laughing embarrassingly between puffs of air.

"Ahh I can't believe I just knocked out a Judgment officer. Thank goodness we got away. H-hey, what are you doing-"

Beri felt an increase of pressure on her chest and lost some amount of oxygen with each inhale. Her rib caged slowly compressed and her spine bent inward. Agent had tightened her grip and held Beri in an absurd excuse of a hug that was more like a little girl's violent death-hug to a hopeless teddy bear. It felt as if Beri's upper body would explode if she was squeezed for any longer.

Agent shook her around as she kept her arms locked in. "Yeah, yeah, ya were super cool at knockin' a kid the fuck out, but y'know I didn't tell ya to do anythin'."

Beri shoved Agent away and wrapped her arms around herself, taking deep breaths and bending her body around in circles trying to return her figure to its original shape.

"A kid's a kid, but that was still a Judgment officer. One of them is a pain in the ass and I sure as hell didn't want to stay in case he called for more."

"What's wrong with a few more? Y'had lots more ammo."

"A-are you insane? They're Judgment officers. Not only would they outnumber us but they're incredibly skilled Espers. Not only that, they're so corrupted it's messed up. They won't just stop with the machine you busted and that kid, they'd give themselves any reason to dish out even more severe punishments. Send us to jail, expelled from Academy City, hang us upside down, or keep us as... as... maids."

"That sure escalated quickly," Agent said in an amused tone. "Relaaax. Sure, that's what they do, but I'm here."

"Are you kidding? Are you new here? They're Judgment-"

Agent shoved her palm in Beri's face. "I know," she said sternly. "They're Judgment. It's just how they do things."

She said those words a matter-of-factly, but the tone in her voice held a hint of regret and disappointment.

"The next time we encounter any more Judgment officers, just let me handle it, okay?"

"What are you gonna do? Before we ran, I saw how you looked. I'm not sure what's up, but you looked as if you were about to do something drastic. No way was I just gonna sit back and watch you make the problem worst."

"Hey, hey, hey. I sense a lack of trust. Trust is the most important aspect of a relationship." Agent rolled her eyes. "'Aight, fine. I won't do anything that would get us into even more 'trouble'. If we see another officer, we'll head off somewhere else."

Beri let out a sigh of relief. "Good. No more trouble."

A streak of blue light shot passed them like a burst of lightning, striking the nearby traffic light and bouncing rapidly to nearby street lights. The lights and glass shielding burst and shattered into pieces. A sea of blue electricity bounced around the ground like swarms of insects and popped like oil in a frying pan.

They looked where the source of the initial blue light came from and there stood a girl with short brunette and a white button-up shirt. On one of the sleeves was another green strap with the symbol of a shield.

Beri cursed under her breath from both the sight of another Judgment officer and constant stabs of pain whenever she misplaced her foot on the carpet of electricity.

Agent, however, saw the situation almost like a Christmas present.

One of Academy City's most prominent Espers. She was the city's pride and joy. She was the poster child of the Personal Reality experiment. A child that, if given suitable training, would be the most powerful Esper to be developed.

Now, this girl had taken an interested of being a Judgment officer. The sight of Judgment's symbol on the girl's sleeve flipped a certain switch that made Agent see not just a powerful Esper in a government-backed organization; she only saw a new acquisition of a most valuable toy.

"It's nice to finally fuckin' meet ya..." Agent slid her fingers under her own skirt and pressed a small button on the mechanical belt around her inner thigh. "...'Prodigy'."


	6. The Same Coin

**Part 42**

Hikari sat in front of the television watching anime while letting Yuria tie small twin tails in her hair.

"Sis," Yuria said, "the plushies we got from the mall are so cute together, aren't they?"

Above the television was a wooden shelf. Hikari's black-spotted snow leopard sat neatly in the middle while its black-striped twin had almost fallen over. It looked like it was leaning on the shoulder of its older sister.

"Mhm." Hikari hoped Yuria would get the hint.

"Even Beri's room was filled with plushies. I never thought anyone would rival your collection, sis."

"Yeah."

"And she says she has even more back at her old home in France. I wonder what it's like."

"Yeah," Hikari sighed. "Shut up."

"I bet she never ever feels alone when she can even play with them like real people. Her ability is amazing."

"Shut up, I know."

"Sis, when do you think we'll be able to hang out with Beri and Fumio? It was so much fun last time."

"Yuria, _shut up_."

Finally given the silence she wanted, Hikari relaxed and continued watching her anime in peace. However, her heart was torn as she immediately regretted raising her voice at her little sister.

"I'm sure they're busy," Hikari said, trying to make sure Yuria didn't feel unwanted. "They go to Tokiwadai, after all. Are you okay staying home?"

"I'll be fine," Yuria said with cheer still left in her voice.

_Thank goodness_ , Hikari smiled to herself. She would have been an absolute wreck if she made Yuria feel any worse. She sat still and continued watching tv while Yuria came back with a brush.

Yuria brushed down Hikari's hair until it sat messily on the back of her shoulders. Hikari's hair didn't stay straight like her sister's, but she never cared much about keeping it neat and proper. In her opinion, it made her look more mature.

Hikari hummed along with the tune of the anime's ending music until a piece of her hair was caught in between the plastic bristles of the brush.

"Kah!" Hikari shot up from her seat and smacked the brush away, knocking it out of Yuria's hand. "Stupid! You're so _stupid_!"

"I-I'm sorry, sis."

Yuria snatched the brush from off the floor and removed tiny strands of hair that was caught in it. She went behind Hikari to continue doing some last finishing touches, but Hikari combed her fingers through her hair and headed towards the door.

Yuria switched the tv off. "I'll have dinner ready when you come home."

"Yeah, yeah. See you."

Yuria stared at the door after Hikari closed it behind her as she left. She giggled and stretched her arms as she thought of what to make for dinner. Maybe something that would make Hikari's eyes pop out of her head. The thought of her reaction made Yuria giggle some more.

The cracked door open and Hikari's head stuck out between the small opening.

"Um… Actually, do you want cake? I can bring home some cake."

Yuria stared with a confused look on her face, but her mouth slowly widened and sparkles started appearing in her eyes.

"Uwaaah~ Chocolate, chocolate— no no, toasted honey— no, wait, I want vanilla buttercream with blueberry filling~"

"Okay, okay, relax." Hikari smiled in relief to see Yuria in her usual overly-excited self. "Big sis will bring home your favorite, so don't worry."

"But to be honest sis, cake is cake. As long as I'm eating it with you, I'll love it so much."

"Of course… I love you, Yuria."

"I love you too, sis."

**Part 43**

Hikari sulked in front of the tall glass apartment building reserved mainly for tourists.

"I don't know why I thought I could just waltz right in when he isn't even home."

She had made it all the way to District 3 only to be reminded by reality that she can't walk through locked doors. She had come here to visit none other but the man that couldn't leave her heart. Her reasons for coming, however, were somewhat skewed. She preferred that it was her heart that brought her here like a helpless balloon on a string, but a part of her believed she came here to get some questions answers, such as: what ever happened to Kuro, and why are Beri and Yuria acting so strange regarding the forgotten teddy bear? It was weird enough that Beri suddenly stopped acknowledging the "death" of her most beloved toy in her collection, especially after how much she wanted to save the poor thing after it was completing wrecked, but having Yuria brought into this gave Hikari no other choice.

Of course, the former part of her thinks whatever reason is a good reason as long as she's with Noel.

"He's not home and the door is locked, so any hope in killing birds is out of the question." She shook her head furiously. "What was I thinking? Barge right in, say hello? Am I nuts? What am I supposed to do? Should have stayed home with Yuria."

She bumped the back of her head against the glass wall and contemplated on her foolishness.

"What is someone from Tokiwadai doing in District 3?" said a young, girly voice with a mature overtone.

A girl with hot pink hair contrasting her evergreen-colored hoodie stood questioningly at Hikari.

"What's up, little girl? Liking Academy City so far? Wait a minute, hold on. You're that same girl from the mall. The one who teleported all those Judgment officers inside during lockdown."

The little girl talked as if she had repeated them a million times, confident, bored, as if she's been doing her job for years. "Yep, that's me, Kuroko Shirai. Judgment officer. Just doing her job for the best for Judgment and the protection of not only the students, but also everyone who steps foot into Academy City."

"Yeah, heard that before," Hikari said as she rolled her eyes. "Damn, what are you doing here? Has Judgment gotten so low as to harass even tourists?"

" _I'm_ the one who should be asking the questions. And what do you mean 'harass'? Tourists or citizens of Academy City, all are under the protection of the city's law enforcement agencies. That includes Judgment, just in case a certain _student_ decides to start causing trouble."

"What, me? Great, a stupid, overly-ambitious rookie. Just what I need."

"What's with you? For your information, I'm not a rookie. I may be young, but I'm a lot more skilled than those at my age. I'm a top-ranking officer and I report to my superiors who also have an even higher standing in Judgment. I even have personal connections to the highest-ranking Elite Officer, Takeshi Yamanoue."

"Fascinating."

Kuroko gritted her teeth and grabbed Hikari's arm. "I suggest you watch what you say about me and my colleagues."

Hikari rolled her eyes. She was about to die of boredom, but at the same time, felt somewhat sad that a small child had already been lost to her own delusions. But the more she thought about it, the more the small girl became dead to her. She tried to pull her arm back, but the surprising amount of strength in Kuroko caught her off guard and found herself in a tug-of-war.

Their little fight lasted until Hikari heard a familiar voice from a distance. Bent over in an awkward position, arm stretched out and Kuroko's palm pressed against her face, Hikari noticed at the corner of her eye was Noel. He was coming closer and closer while he spoke casually into his cellphone which distracted him enough to not notice the two girls quarreling in front of the building he lived in. Before she could be seen, Hikari dashed to the opposite side, ran around the corner, pulling Kuroko with her — she had forgotten that Kuroko was still here.

"What are you do—!?"

Hikari slapped her hand on Kuroko's mouth.

"Yeah, I just made it home," Noel said. "What, right now? Dunno. You don't seem to appreciate my company. Kidding, kidding. No worries, there's a gift shop near my place."

He walked off the sidewalk and crossed the street to the next block over. He kept going until Hikari lost him from sight behind all the tourists.

She sighed, leaning back against the wall to calm herself down.

"Who was that?" Kuroko whispered, still holding onto to Hikari's arm. More accurate to say that Hikari still hadn't let go.

She was silent for a moment until she finally replied, "…Friend."

"A friend?"

"…Boy… friend?"

"Okay, now I know you're lying. I'm taking you in for interrogation."

A palm strike to the forehead sent Kuroko stumbling to the ground.

Hikari placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, fine, you got me. But what about you? Trying to act all macho. Aren't you just some rookie?" She nibbled on her bottom lip as a lightbulb flickered in her head. "A trainee wrongfully arresting a student with no evidence while pretending to be a high-ranking officer, huh? Boy, that's some doozie when I go report that to the officials, huh?" The lightbulb in Hikari's head shut back off once she realized the flaw in her plan. She said to herself, "those bastards would just let her go."

However, Kuroko had found herself backed into a corner. She couldn't believe that she'd be found out so easily — from a student, no less. She tightened her fists and bowed her head in regret. "I don't know what problems you have against Judgment, but you must understand that they only wish to maintain peace-and-order within the city. It's for your protection."

Hikari just wanted to roll her eyes until they pop out of her skull. She was getting tired of the front being pulled by the so-called peacekeepers consisting of self-righteous Espers who have nothing else to do but harass everyone else that just want to live their life. Yet, what kept her from interrupting the lecture was the sight of Kuroko slowly bowing in a nearly ninety-degree angle, her voice almost trembling.

"I apologize for taking my actions a step too far. I just wanted to fulfill my active duty of an officer-in-training to fulfill my dream of becoming an honorary Judgment officer."

_Is this some trick?_ Either this young officer was being wholeheartedly serious, or she's a mad genius. Hikari's hesitated to reach out to Kuroko, embarrassed by all the eyes set on them from tourists walking by. Even so, reporting her to the authorities would be counter-productive to her own plan.

"L-look, look, you have your mind set on your dreams and I can respect that," Hikari said half-seriously. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to lash out on you like that. How about this: I have a small problem. Help me out, will you? Then, all will be forgiven."

**Part 44**

Hikari patted down her clothes to see if they were still intact. She even looked down her shirt if nothing vital was misplaced; somewhat disappointed from what she saw. Most importantly, she was whole and now on the other side of the locked door that lead to Noel's apartment room.

Kuroko's voice came from the other side of the door. "You're not doing anything bad in there, are you?"

"I told you, I know him."

"It's just hard to believe because I doubt that he's your boyfriend."

"O-o-okay! We're not dating! But for your information, he's related to a… friend of mine. I just need to grab something real quick. You can go on your way now."

She stared at the door and counted to fifty in her head. She closed her right eye, and instead of cutting her peripheral vision in half, she saw two doors side-by-side. The same door, front and back.

She wound up her leg and kicked the door as hard as she could. The loud bang followed by a panic shriek from the other side.

"Okay, okay!" Kuroko admitted her defeat. "I'll be leaving."

"Now!" Hikari kicked the door once more.

"Ah! Fine!"

With the annoying wannabe officer gone, Hikari wept her hands in success and readying herself to accomplish the next phase of her plan. She's only been here once, so the feeling of being in an unknown place still lingered, but the layout of this floor was simple. A hallway with multiple doors and a large living room at the end.

Trying to remember which door led to Noel's room, she heard a voice coming from the door to her left.

"Master Lacoste, is that you I hear?"

Hikari's heart was about to jump out of her throat. She hadn't expected anyone else to be here. Beri never mentioned about anyone else living with Noel.

"I have an urgent matter I must speak with you about, Master Lacoste."

The voice was getting closer.

She looked around faster than her neck could normally support. There weren't many options. Which door to choose? Or should she run straight to the living room and hide there? Her toe slammed against the edge of the wall.

"You sure are making a ruckus out there. Are you all right?"

Tears in her eyes and her cries muffled by her palm, she opened the closest door on the opposite side, and without thinking, slammed it shut behind her. At the same time, the door where the voice came from opened.

"Master Lacoste? Ah."

At the same second, the entrance door opened and Noel walked in with a mall bag in hand. He stopped for only a moment before realizing the familiar face standing in the middle of his bedroom doorway.

"Heeey, how've you been, old man?"

"Master, I am appalled. I'll have you know that my stamina is just like when I was a youth. I had to traverse the lobby for me to take the elevator just to see you. Don't worry, I was dropped off by a private aircraft."

"Nice to see you too," Noel chuckled.

While the two chattered away in the middle of the hallway, Hikari was stuck inside what seemed to be the closet. Before she had closed the door, she didn't have the time to thoroughly check the contents, but it was filled with coats. She had thrown herself in and now found herself mushed between layers of heavy leather.

She wiggled trying to loosen the coats off her and give herself some more breathing room, but she held her breath and stood still whenever the metal hangers clanged against each other. Too much noise and they'll surely discover her hiding spot. She could still hear the two talking outside, but she had no clue what they were saying. Her ears tingled in pleasure, so she assumed they were speaking in French.

It was probably best to stick it out until she knew it was safe enough to leave.

She took a deep breath so she could sigh, but as the air went through her nostrils, so did the lingering scent of the leather coats. Dark, smoky leather invaded her nose and laid waste to her senses, ravaging her mind and forcing it to its knees, only to be embraced and soothed by a sweet, warming vanilla.

She buried her face into the chest of one of the leather coats, taking a big, shameless whiff, and sighed after experiencing that moment of high. She grabbed another coat and smelled it, while grabbing yet another coat's long sleeve and rubbing it against her cheek. Some coats had fallen off, but she was too lost to care. Before she knew it, she had almost wrapped her entire body in leather, but her mind was filled with French lovers holding her in their arms, seducing her until she would completely give up her body and soul. Whenever their faces would appear, Hikari could only picture one — mainly because she only knew one in real life.

But her dreams ended abruptly by a loud bang on the door. Her face was already buried deep into one of the leather coats which helped muffled her scream.

"I told you," Noel yelled, "nothing is wrong. It's been years since we moved here and everything's been going well."

"Master Lacoste, I fully understand the situation and I truly believed you were in the right. Believe me—…" The butler went silent for a second and then cleared his throat. "My apologies, Master Lacoste. Now that I'm here in Academy City, I figured it would be a perfect opportunity to polish my Japanese. Now, please understand me, Master. I have given you my full support for taking Little Beri to Academy City, even at an age one would question your act of self-fulfilling responsibility."

"What's done is done," Noel said, humoring the butler by speaking Japanese along with him. "I missed you, old man, I really do, but there is absolutely no reason for you to be here."

"Master Lacoste, you out of all people should know that even though I have lost the ability to see, I am far from blind. You can not wholeheartedly believe that your words, though elegant, intelligent, and colorful, could ever pass by my judgment in truth. And if I may have your permission to speak the truth, I want to take the pleasure of assuring you that I am here not to go against my Master's wishes, but to help protect Little Lacoste."

"What? After all these years, why would you come all the way here to protect her now?"

"You still feign ignorance in my presence, Master Lacoste."

Getting into an argument with Noel was as dangerous as playing Russian Roulette. One word and one motion of his hand, his opponents fall to their knees in submission from his logical reasoning and assertive personality. His brilliance radiated when it came to surgically tweaking their minds, their reasoning.

He clenched his fist, knowing all too well that only his butler was impenetrable. "…Has the Concert made their move?"

"The threads have started to spin only a mere week ago," the butler said, his voice calm yet powerful befitting his larger stature. "Yet their delay of any significant action is only due to principle. I hope I am not overstepping any boundaries within your household, but as her former caretaker, I must ask: where is Little Lacoste?"

"I don't really pay attention to what she does." Noel cracked open the door to his room just enough to slide the bag inside. "Probably at school or out with friends."

"You don't keep an eye on your little sister despite your desperate attempts to bring her out here?"

The truth stung, but he waved it off as he reached for the coat rack and grabbed the only piece of clothing that was on it. A black fedora.

"Master, where are you heading off to?"

"Promised to hang out with a friend tonight—… Eve."

"Ah, the missus."

"Make sure you take care of the place."

"Very well. It will be like old times."

"How saintly of you." Noel didn't look back, but he nodded as he closed the door behind him.

After a moment of silence, the butler continued to speak in Japanese.

"My Master won't be back until very late. You can come out now."

The closet door slowly opening, even stopping halfway to contemplate whether this was right, but realized it was too late anyway.

"You knew, huh?"

**Part 45**

Hikari pressed her back firmly against the closet door. For some reason, it helped keep her calm during this embarrassing situation while he twiddled with her thumbs.

"I… didn't think there would be anyone else here." She pushed her shoulders up to her ears. "I'm really sorry for intruding!"

"I know you mean no cause of harm, child. I am not aware of your relationship with Master Lacoste is, and I can not be certain of his reaction to find a young girl such as yourself having a passionate attraction to his younger sister's clothing, but you can be rest assure I have no qualms against your interests or your reason for being here. Now, hopefully your fears have been set aside, for I would like to ask for your reason for infiltrating Noel's residence."

She was in awe at the large butler's polite manner and kindness. His large eyebrows made it difficult to see his eyes and his neatly combed mustache almost covered his lips. He was like a real-life model of the butlers she read inside of her mangas. Butlers were supposed to be talented in everything, so the fact he spoke to her in Japanese did not surprise her.

Her faced turned red trying to think of an excuse. She bit her lip, covering her mouth with the end of her sleeve. "I just… well… I came here with Beri once, and her brother was… and I just wanted to come visit and thank him for taking care of us. I'm really sorry, but I panicked when I heard you calling out so I just opened a random door and hid inside but it was filled with his coats and they… they… theysmelledsogoodIcouldn'thelpmyselfI'mreallysorryIknowI'mshamefulpleaseforgiveme!"

She quickly bowed at a stiff, ninety-degree angle, almost falling over by her butt hitting the door behind her.

A grumble vibrated through his thick mustache. It was like a growl from an angry dog, causing Hikari to shake in fear. She knew she had crossed the line now.

"I accept your apology," the butler said. "However, I want to correct you on one thing. Noel doesn't normally wear coats. In fact, I would assume now that he's lived here for so long, he doesn't own a single coat. The closet that you hid holds a small collection of coats and other winter wear belonging to his sister."

"Sister…?"

Hikari spun and opened the closet. With the light coming from the hallway and taking the time to see its contents, the closet was filled with many types of coats; trench coats, pea coats, parkas, toggles, duffles, chesterfields, and more. There were even several jackets and sweaters that she hadn't noticed before. She took one off its hanger and noticed the size was a perfect fit for herself. It was probably impossible for Noel to even stick his arm through it.

But if that's the case…

**Part 46**

Hikari stared at the ceiling as if she had given all hope moment before the world ended, no mind to the hot cup of tea in her hands.

Things haven't been going the way she had hoped. She was unable to talk to Noel, was caught hiding in the closet by his butler, succumbed to her fantasies by shamelessly sniffing the contents of the closet, and by discovering those very contents belonging not to the person in her fantasies, but Beri's.

Is she going to be sick?

The butler came in with a tray of biscuits and spoke in a casual manner. "If I may be so blunt, if there was a word I could use to describe your predicament, I would say: funny."

"So it has come down to the butler making fun of me." Hikari sighed, taking another sip of her hot tea. "Lacoste never told me she had her own butler. Well, I guess I shouldn't be _too_ surprised." She silently grumbled while she took a bite of a biscuit, accepting another defeat by her rival.

"I apologize for the unexpected appearance. An important matter has come up that required me to come to Academy City and fulfill my role as servant and caretaker to the Lacoste children; my master and Little Lacoste."

Hikari giggled hearing Beri's nickname.

"Ah," the butler realized, "excuse my rudeness. You may call me Saint Souveran. I have been a servant of the Lacoste household for many years, dating back before Little Lacoste was even born." Hikari giggled again. "I, too, am a humble man of German heritage."

Hikari took another bite, somewhat confused at how proud he sounded with those last words.

"I'm pretty proud being Japanese."

"Of course," Souveran chuckled under his mustache.

She slowed her chewing trying to think of what he meant by that, but then decided to pay it no mind and continued with her snacks.

"These are really good," Hikari said.

"Have as much as you like. I have taught Little Lacoste how to bake when she was very young. She rarely ever eats sweets herself, but never has there been a time she did not like to show off her baking skills."

"Is that so?" She took another biscuit, but examined it before taking another bite. She could smell the scent of vanilla and brought it her nose for a more direct sniff. Her face turned red immediately after realizing she had smelled her food, thinking it was a rude thing to do. Her face had gotten hotter because of Souveran mentioning Beri than her an image of her popped up in her head while she was succumbed to the smell. She tossed the biscuit in her mouth and swallowed her embarrassment.

She picked up another biscuit and immediately dropped it back down.

"Oh, ah, I'm sorry. You told me your name, but I forgot to give you mine. It's Hikari Utsuwa."

"Yes, I believe so," Souveran nodded. "Miss Utsuwa, if you don't mind me referring to you that, may I ask you a personal question?"

"Uh, sure, what's up?"

"What exactly is your current relationship with Little Lacoste?"

Hikari's eye twitched, her cheeks heating up. She turned the other direction, dropping a biscuit in her tea and downing the tea in one go along with the soaked biscuit.

_Lacoste this, Lacoste that… Is he just reminiscing? But why is he asking me?_

She cleared her throat. "We've only just met recently… At the mall, a week ago, but I guess we're friends… Can I ask you a question in return?"

"Please, I am all ears for a friend of Little Lacoste."

"Is something going to happen to Lacoste? Er, Beri?"

She expected an immediate reply, but she was given silence. Was it too personal? She figured that he spoke in Japanese specifically for her to hear, but was it a misunderstanding? She looked at his face and felt a sense of regret behind his stern, emotionless face.

Hikari continued, "I don't know much about Beri, to be honest. Or his brother. I didn't really care, I just thought it was good enough simply being friends. My little sister, she likes her a lot, and I guess we did have a fun time when we came over for a visit. It's just that… ever since then, somethings been off about them; Beri and Yuria. Ah, that's my sister's name. Like, I dunno, they act completely normal, but when I try to bring up Beri's teddy bear, they throw it out the window. I mean, especially Beri, it was her favorite toy after all, but she acts like it never even existed. Like… all of her and Yuria's memories about it were wiped."

"Miss Utsuwa, when was your visit to the Lacoste home?"

"It was the day after we first met. So, last week."

"I see." Souveran picked up the biscuit that Hikari had left uneaten and took a bite out of it. "I know you have some questions and I assure you they will be answered. However, I guarantee you will be having more questions you would have never thought of asking. I have meant for you to hear our conversation in the hallway. Tell me, Miss Utsuwa. Do you believe in magic?"

"Are you going to pull out _concert_ tickets out of my ear?" Hikari joked, but the look in Souveran's eyes — she could only imagine — showed he wasn't in the mood for playing games.

"It… you said 'concert'… right? Like… a music… concert…?"

**Part 47**

A streak of blue lightning so bright that it absorbed all nearby light broke through the air with a thunderous roar like a comet, aimed at a straight line to its target.

The electricity scattered into different directions like electric cobwebs the moment the tip of the spear came into contact with Agent's palm until the air turned calm like the first minutes after a raging storm.

Agent shook the sting out of her hang. "Aw, how sweet of ya. Holdin' back fer me? Oh, no, ya just too good of a gal to go against Judgment protocol, aren't ya? C'mon, yer young, yer fresh. They'll forgive ya for making a little mistake. If ya wanna stop me, _kill_ me."

Mikoto was frozen, flabbergasted that someone could easily stop one of her most powerful attacks as if what she threw at her was just a paper ball. "You're an electromaster, too?"

"Would ya be surprised if I were? Let's just say, I have a lot of inner… _potential_. Hey, Beri, hold my hand."

Beri took a step back out of instinct, her mind not properly where she could think clearly as she was still figuring out what was going on. Fear and confusion was taking its toll on her and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do, but seeing Agent hold out her hand, she followed her order and grabbed it, only to be induced with an electric shock that left her paralyzed from the neck down.

"W-W-… What…!?"

"What are you doing?" Mikoto yelled. "Isn't she your friend?"

"Keep yer cute froggy panties on, Prodigy."

Agent picked up Beri's motionless body in her arms and placed her down on the middle of the empty street. "Yer pretty heavy. Ya should go on a diet."

"W-What are you doing? …Fuck you just say?"

"Relax, ye'll come out of this alive and intact. Promise. Just think of this as an experiment. Well, it is an experiment, but whatever." She turned her attention back to Mikoto. "Still wanna play?"

"Anti-Skill are on their way, so you better sit still." Mikoto swung her arm to the side and electric sparks emitted and rotated around her waist, touching the ground making it look like an electric dress.

The carpet of electricity crawled closer towards Agent and Beri. Agent wiggled her fingers and the electric currents lifted from the ground as if being sucked up like a straw through her finger tips.

"Who knew controlling electricity would be pretty fun? I like this game, but I think it's juuust about time for…" Agent looked at her wrist. "Three, two… No wait, five, four… two-one."

Agent stomped the ground and from her foot came out a blinding flash of light and a blue ring that expanded outward, covering the whole district in less than a second, and a deafening boom loud enough to destroy the eardrums of anyone caught inside.

Mikoto was lifted from the ground as if gravity ceased to exist. "EMP…!?" She was thrown backwards against the steel fence enclosing the park.

"Man, you can do anything with electromagnetism," Agent said with a cackle while juggling balls of concentrated electricity. "'Aight, Beri, let's get the show on the road. Hear that?"

From a distance, the roar of wheels burning cement came from a distance. They were coming from both sides. Military trucks. Anti-Skill.

Beri was scared out of her mind thinking just being in this situation was enough to throw her behind bars for life. She couldn't even do anything about it, not when unable to move a single muscle from the neck down. She could only watch as all her good memories and her freedom seem to become further and further from reach.

Yet there was one more thing that made her more afraid than the thoughts of handcuffs.

What is Agent planning on doing to them?

"Please, let's just stop this."

"I told ya, just relax. Plus, it's a good time for me to practice."

Agent snapped both her fingers. Both trucks were hit by a electromagnetic pulse from underneath and were launched, flying through the air erratically.

Beri's eyes widen and her skin turned pale as the truck grew bigger and bigger. "A-Agent, Agent…! Agent!"

"Right, negate its gravity and then…" Agent pointed at one of the truck with two fingers shaped like a gun, but nothing happened. "…I _toootally_ ran out of juice."

"What!?"

Mikoto struggled to regain her composure, holding on to her back as her body tilted to the side by the waist. Seeing the trucks falling from the sky, she stomped the ground and pushed herself forward, running towards Beri only to be sent flying back from Agent's kick.

"What are you doing!? You're going to get crushed!"

Agent thought about it for a second. "…This is fine."

"I am not fine!"

Even when the trucks were only a few seconds away from crushing them, Beri could already imagine the impact and pain she would feel despite having no feeling in her body's current whatsoever. Her eyes widen and her mouth agape, the amount of air she sucked in was enough to burst open her chest.

With only a second left before her doom, she screamed, "I don't wanna die!"

Just inches away before both trucks landed, they were engulfed by a bright, glowing substance. The white light itself exploded into many sparkling particles that covered the sky.

Agent tilted her head, but the look on her face was unaffected, showing no hints of confusion as if she were expecting something to happened, but what did happen was far from what she thought it would be.

Mikoto, however, couldn't contemplate it at all. She fell to her knees, still holding her side in pain. "Did… Did you do that?"

Agent shrugged. "Nah."

Two more sparkling explosions out of thin air happened one after another, a military truck appeared with each burst of light and dropped just a few feet from the ground, piling on top of each other. Loud groans and cries could be heard from inside, but it was difficult to see through the windows with blood splattered from the inside.

Agent gulped. For the first time in her life, there was a weird combination of fear and confusion swelling inside of her.

"Okay," Agent said nervously. "I _think_ it's time to go."

Agent picked up Beri who was near unconscious due to shock, and ran down the street to the nearest corner.

"Hey, wait!" Mikoto clenched her fist, feeling a surge of electricity returning to her veins. She waved her hand and the metal fencings were ripped from the ground and shot towards Agent.

A nearby lightpost broke from its base and blocked every incoming metal bar during its fall.

"What? Luck!?"

Mikoto glanced at the fallen trucks and cursed under her breath. She chased Agent, but as she came across the corner, Agent was nowhere to be found.

**Part 48**

Agent kicked the wall with the sole of her shoe. "Damn, what was that at the end? Was someone watching us? Range teleportation? There's that one chick, but hers isn't as flashy. It wasn't… normal."

Agent had escaped just in time to dodge Anti-Skill reinforcements and people coming in waves to find what the commotion was about. She found a large open area in the middle of a maze of alleyways. A locked emergency exit and a couple of empty dumpsters; probably the back of some restaurant, maybe, probably, likely, but most importantly, her theory about Beri turned out to be true, maybe, probably, likely.

It was hard to tell, now that she thought about it.

"Are we being watched now? Fuck it, fuck it. Yo, Beri, 'sup. Ya doin' good?"

Beri found the feeling in her limbs again — and the rest of her body, although that meant she had to experience the sickness inside her stomach from being electrocuted and having her face mere inches away from a truck that was about to crush her like a cockroach.

"Looks like yer all good to go."

"Give me a break," Beri groaned as she stretched and flexed her muscles.

"C'mon, I know a place where we can hang out."

"No! I had enough of this. You may be the type who likes to have fun messing with officers, but I'm not like that. I almost _died_ because of it."

"Whaaaat? Yer standing right in front of me. I told ya, it's fiiine."

"No, I had enough of your games."

A shock went through Beri's spine that told her to step back the moment she saw Agent's foot step forward.

Agent slowly lifted her arms to her sides as if tons of weight were holding them down. "I promised ya wouldn't get hurt. I kept it, but ya still don't trust me? I'm sorry for scaring ya."

Her eyes weren't the same feisty, cool-looking expression that she usually had. Instead, they were replaced with dark, empty eyes, their horrific gaze enhanced by the dark alleyway and the small light shone on her face.

That familiar air again. That dark aura Beri associated Agent with. She thought it would have been gone since this morning, but it seemed their 'date' didn't help in ceasing those feelings. All because of the girl who was slowly walking towards her with a smile that would make the Cheshire cat frown.

"W-Wait, maybe… maybe, next time?" Beri took a couple of steps back.

Agent still followed. "We're friends, aren't we? We had fun on our date, didn't we? Give me a hug."

"I-I just don't want to get in trouble."

"Give me a hug."

"I… I… Anti-Skill…"

"Hug me ya fuckin' slut."

She wasn't sure if it was even the right choice, but in a panic, she quickly turned and started to run, but before she could take more than a step, Agent appeared right in front of her. She was just behind her, and when she looked, she wasn't there. She looked back the direction she wanted to escape, and Agent had disappeared again.

Beri's legs were shaking to the point that they could collapse any moment. She took a step back. A hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her back around. The sides of her throat were squeezed tight by cold, stabbing fingers, she could about feel each side of her neck inside. Her eyes met another pair of eyes that may very well be a window leading to hell.

Her feet left the ground. The grip around her neck was getting more intense. Less oxygen was going through her brain. It was getting hard for Beri to think at all, and the only thoughts she could manage was thanking God, whether or not he exists, that she couldn't see Agent's eyes from her angle.

Dry gasping. Wet gurgling.

She could pry Agent's fingers away. Any attempts, Agent would tighten her grip. If she kept at it, she would probably get her neck snapped before losing consciousness.

One large breath of air.

No, she wasn't just wishing for it. Her desperate attempts to inhale even a molecule of air, she was finally given a sudden relief.

She felt light. She felt nothing on her throat. She saw a crack of the blue sky between the tall buildings for a split second before her vision was covered in smoke and debris.

Slowly, her senses returned, ears ringing, coughing hysterically from inhaling dirt.

Finally, given the chance to breath, but too weak to move. Once the ringing stopped, she could hear a female's voice.

"Twice within ten minutes. I'd say I was willing, but recent developments make me question even myself. No matter. Fate is fate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: So, I just want to thank those who managed to tough it out and read through my hellish writing. I'm getting hits, so I assume I'm doing something right. It's almost Halloween, which means next month is November. I want to improve my writing and especially rate of writing, so I'll be doing NaNoWriMo. Don't expect a new chapter coming soon. And if there does happen to be a new chapter... well, I failed NaNoWriMo. Anyway, please review. Don't have to blow smoke up my ass... that would be great, but I really want to know how my writing is now compared to when I first started Spawn Project. Thank you.


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